We have often emphasized that Xiaomi is a pioneer in terms of charging technology and especially wireless charging. Now they have introduced a revolution in wireless charging. The new Xiaomi Mi Air Charge Technology allows wireless charging over several meters, for multiple devices and even through objects!
What is Mi Air Charge?
The new technology from Xiaomi offers the first “true wireless charging“, Mi Air Charge has little to do with the Qi charging standard. The wireless charging system seems to be much more a part of the living room, because this first generation is a relatively large, white box that enables true wireless charging. It takes up a similar amount of space as one of Xiaomi’s air purifiers. In the first videos, you can also see a display that shows how many watts it is currently charging at.
The wireless charging even takes place when you are in motion with your smartphone, i.e. walking through the room and objects like a sofa should be “in the way”. In this first generation, however, Mi Air Charge “only” offers a charging power of 5W, similar to the first Qi-enabled smartphones. That sounds like little, after all, Xiaomi even already installs 50W Qi charging in the Xiaomi Mi 11. However, the Xiaomi Mi Air Charge Technology can charge several compatible devices at the same time with 5W! The technology is also not limited to smartphones, but is equally compatible with smartwatches, headphones or Bluetooth speakers. However, no compatible hardware has been presented yet. However, knowing Xiaomi, that should not take too long.
How does Mi Air Charge work?
According to Xiaomi, the core technology of Mi Air Charge is energy transfer and room localization, which is why the new wireless charging also works through objects, in motion and at a distance. For this purpose, Xiaomi has not only installed 5 phase interference antennas in the Mi Air Charge (we assume that is the name of the charging station), but also a phase control arrangement of 144 antennas. They are responsible for the energy transmission part and send millimeter-wide waves to the receiver via beamforming.
But the receiver, in this case the smartphone, must also have the corresponding components. The cell phone also needs such an antenna array, but it only consists of 14 antennas. One of them is a so-called beacon antenna, which is responsible for determining the position. The remaining antennas can convert the signal from the charging station into electrical energy via rectifier circuitry.
Assessment
Wow – finally another innovation on the smartphone market! The Xiaomi Mi Air Charge Technology almost sounds like science fiction! We can hardly wait to try out the technology. Of course, 5W is now very little, especially for a smartphone, but this is the first generation and perhaps charging habits will change as a result. Smartphones might not be the main target of Mi Air Charge, but many small smart home devices that are distributed in the apartment/house. You then have a central “charger” in the house that charges all other compatible devices wirelessly.
What do you think of Mi Air Charge? Is it the future for you or do you have any (health) concerns? Let us know in the comments!
(Pocket-lint) - Space. There aren't many things like it to set the imagination alight, and get the heart racing. Whether it's from influential science fiction behemoths like the Star Wars franchise or from movies that set their stall out a bit closer to reality, like Gravity and First Man, we're fascinated by life in orbit.
But the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of us are never going to have the chance to experience time in space for ourselves. Whether that's because space tourism is still only slowly becoming a thing, and is still cripplingly expensive, or because we just didn't do outstandingly enough at our science subjects at school, it's worth accepting.
It's great news, then, that agencies like NASA aren't just interested in exploring space and documenting it for research purposes - there are also troves of jaw-dropping photographs being taken from orbit. These images do an amazing job of showing us what it's like to be up there in the great expanse.
We've gathered 15 amazing shots that NASA has made public, taken aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for your viewing pleasure.
We're starting off inside the space station, with a shot that we think gives you a great sense for how cramped it can be within its confines. Jessica Meir, one of NASA's astronauts, is working in the airlock to get some spacesuits ready for use on spacewalks.
You can see from her floating laptop and the equipment all over the place that it must be easy to lose track of items while you're up there!
Here Jessica Meir is joined by another NASA astronaut, Christina Koch, as the preparations continue for a spacewalk that they're going to do in order to install some new batteries on the exterior of the station.
We like this shot because it gives you a sense for how big the suits are, relative to their occupants, and how that must impact on an astronaut's ability to maneuver easily.
Here, in our last picture from inside the station, we see Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency doing checks on his spacesuit and that of a NASA astronaut before a spacewalk of their own. It serves to underline how important these checks and processes are to ensure that nothing goes wrong once outside the airlock at the mercy of space itself.
Now we're outside, as you can tell - Parmitano is getting going on his tasks, all the while tethered by that thin, almost imperceptible wire at the bottom left of the frame. It's borderline scary, no?
Here's a more zoomed-in look at Parmitano as he works, letting you get a sense for how much equipment he has hooked to him and how difficult it must be to move around the outside of the station in any sort of an efficient manner.
This is just one snapshot from a spacewalk that lasted over 6 hours in total.
This shot is amazing on a few levels - from the reflection in Jessica Meir's helmet showing Christina Kock in the act of taking the photo, to the close-up details you can see in the bottom left of the frame.
This helps you get a handle on how massive and clumsy the gloves they have to wear are, and how supersized the tools they use have to be both to work with the gloves and to cope with the conditions they're in.
It's possible to forget, looking at the shots we've shown so far, that these spacewalks aren't just happening in an empty void - Earth is just out of shot, with the impossible height and scale that comes with it.
This photograph perfectly captures that distinction, showing NASA's Andrew Morgan in the foreground, with all the tethers keeping him safely in place, while behind him you can see ocean and clouds an insane distance away.
This shot of Andrew Morgan is a fun one for a few reasons, not least because it captures him in the moment of photography, and you can see through the surface of his helmet through to his face.
The lens flare next to him adds a filmic touch to things, while the glow of the sun just off frame at the bottom lends dramatic lighting to it all. It's a unique perspective on things at the ISS.
This was an obvious candidate for inclusion, and for obvious reasons, too. There are selfies, and there are selfies, and this effort from the ESA's Luca Parmitano is one for the ages.
Again, though, it's good to get some context. Zooming out from Parmitano we can see the robotic arm he's attached to, which looks fragile enough to give us palpitations down at ground level. Behind and beyond him is the pitch black yawn of space itself.
This is a great shot for illustrating just how much contrast there is up there. You don't get blacker blacks than this, but the white on the top of Parmitano's helmet is also about as pure as it gets.
Astronauts are endlessly interesting figures, but it's also fair to say that the ISS itself is a bit of a marvel to photograph. Those solar fins are just iconic, while we have it on good authority that the little pod at the top right corner of the frame is called a cupola, with an astronaut very possiby inside it.
If you wanted some more context, each other solar arrays is bigger than a tennis court by a decent distance. We're not looking at some rinky-dink space station, here.
This is another shot that we think speaks for itself. We get another look at the massive solar arrays from a different angle, while down on Earth sunrise is glinting over the Philippine Sea.
It's a gorgeous piece of photography, and the orange glow of the sun's rays hitting the solar panels makes a marvellous accompaniment to the sun hitting the ocean far below.
Night offers just as impressive a set of views down to Earth, though, and this shot of South Korean metropoles lit up at night is beautiful. In the back of the photo you can even make out ships' lights in the Sea of Japan, while the nexus of light in the centre-right is South Korea's capital, Seoul.
It's a reminder of just how awesome human networks look from a huge distance.
This beautiful shot is a nice little repartee to flat-earthers, but also a lovely image of space and Earth in relation. That glow might look like it could be the Aurora Borealis or some similar effect, but it's actually just the atmospheric glow of the planet.
To round out our gallery we return to Earth, in the company of a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. It's just landed in White Sands, New Mexico, after a flight test in orbit, ready for further use.
It's a great image that evokes memories of moon landings and exploration while actually existing on our own planet, and the NASA logo on the ship situates everything brilliantly. A nice final touch is added by the knowledge that the ship has been christened Calypso by its crew.
Proscenic is a household manufacturer that we like to see. Whether it is a battery-powered mop vacuum, an air purifier or a vacuum robot with extraction station: The brand’s products are inexpensive and almost always good as well. With the new Proscenic M6 Pro, the Taiwanese try to implement exactly this credo. Here you can find out if it worked.
Proscenic M6 Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Technical data: Comparison to the M7 Pro
What we like about Proscenic, besides good value for money, is that the brand is always making progress with new models. However, after the M7 Pro, the cheapest vacuum robot with extraction station on the market, this is now not going to be easy. Let’s start with the tabular comparison.
50-67 dB (lowest suction level set to 50, highest set to 67 dB)
70, 76, 88 dB (loud)
Battery
3200 mAh
5200 mAh
Dust chamber/water tank
0.55 l
0.6 l/ 0.11 l
Charging time
4-5 h
4-5 h
Working time
2,5 h
3 h
Weight
3,4 kg
4,35 kg
Dimensions
35.0 x 35.0 x 9.4 cm
33.0 x 33.0 x 9.65 cm
Inclination
20°, up to 2 cm
20°, up to 2 cm
CE marking
yes
yes
Features
App control
Laser space measurement
Mapping with map storage of multiple floors (five)
No-go zones and zoned cleanup
Wipe function
selective room division
Voice control via Alexa & Google Home (ProscenicRobot)
App control
Laser room measurement
Mapping with map storage of multiple floors (five)
No-go zones and zoned cleanup
Wipe function
selective room division
Voice control via Alexa & Google Home (ProscenicRobot)
Extraction station
It’s not uncommon for Asian tech companies to not follow the correct numerical sequence when it comes to product designations. The M6 Pro is newer than the M7 Pro, but is it better?
Scope of delivery
After opening the travel-safe filled box, a slight plastic smell was noticeable, but this dissipated after a day or two. In addition to the robot itself, the scope of delivery includes
Charging station with charging cable
0.55 l water tank, 0.55 l hybrid tank (vacuuming and mopping)
two brush heads (one for underside)
small cleaning tool under the flap
mop attachment with attached microfiber cloth
additional microfiber cloth
additional HEPA filter (one already inserted in dust chamber)
remote control with two AAA batteries
instruction manual in English, German and other languages
The lavish scope of delivery
We really can’t complain about the scope of the package. But haven’t we seen it all before somewhere similar?
Design and workmanship
Visually, when I unpacked the Proscenic M6 Pro, I had to think directly of the Viomi V2 or also V3, they all really resemble each other immensely. Controls, surface, construction … right?
Left Viomi V2, in the middle Viomi V3, right Proscenic M6 Pro.
Therefore, I come here to the same design assessment as back then with the V3: Chic and modern yes, but somehow the design does not really kick. Of course, this is a matter of taste. There are no manufacturing flaws; the plastic used is not cheap, but not as high-quality as the competition from Xiaomi or Roborock. The low price has to come about somehow.
Visually okay, but more is possible.
With dimensions of 35.0 x 35.0 x 9.4 cm, the vacuum robot is of average height for a model with an LDS tower, but of course it cannot get under as many pieces of furniture as, for example, an 8 cm flat Dreame F9. There is a CE mark on the bottom of the robot, which clarifies any insurance issues and simplifies international sales.
It can just about get under my dresser, but with some pieces of furniture it is recommended to measure.
Like the Viomi vacuums, the M6 Pro has its charging contacts in the back instead of the front. Accordingly, it also approaches the charging station to charge the battery backwards; it parks in reverse, so to speak (and does it better than I do with the car).
“Huh, why isn’t my battery charging?”“Aaah, now”.
The M6 Pro offers a working time of 2.5 hours on the lowest suction level, which is a very good value even for modern vacuum robots. Of course, this value varies a lot with the change of the suction levels, but you do not have to worry that the working time would not be sufficient for areas of up to 200 m². After the work is done, the round household helper autonomously returns to its charging station. There, it then recharges the battery in 4-5 h.
The charging contacts can be found at the back.
Operation, sensors and navigation
Besides fall sensors and obstacle detection sensors, the most important sensor in an LDS model like the M6 Pro is the LDS (laser distance sensor). This rotates 360° at breathtaking speed and thus scans the premises. Obstacles are then displayed as lines, or outlines, on a virtual map in the ProscenicHome (Android, iOS).
The laser turret on the top enables precise measurement of the premises.
In addition to the LDS, this live mapping is made possible by a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithm. This allows the robot to be sent to certain premises (selective room division), you can make areas inaccessible to it (no-go zones) and use it on multiple floors (up to five maps can be stored in the app).
The Proscenic M6 Pro travels the rooms in straight paths, leaving no area out.
The brush head on the underside rotates and pushes dirt and grime towards the V-shaped main brush before dust and co. find their way towards the 0.5 l dust chamber. The size of the chamber is completely sufficient for one pass and with a normal degree of soiling of the four walls.
The 0.5 l dust chamber does not need to be emptied during, but after a cleaning.
Overcoming obstacles up to 2 cm is not a problem, but above that it would have to be rounded obstacles for the M7 Pro to be successful. Anyone who has installed door thresholds or cable covers should therefore measure in advance. Or build ramps.
Performance on hard floors and carpet
When it comes to suction power, the individual manufacturers have been beating each other up since the first model hit the market. If you were still taken by the 850 pa of an ILIFE X5 more than three years ago, you are no longer impressed under 3000 pa today. But I can tell you in good conscience: The 2600 pa suction power of the M6 Pro is more than enough for any hard floor. The four suction levels are listed with their respective noise levels:
1000 pa, 50 dB
1500 pa, 57 dB
2100 pa, 63 dB
2600 pa, 67 dB
The measured volume naturally varies depending on where you place the sound level meter. To be able to put the values in relation and estimate them: We humans converse at an average volume of 60 dB, so anything above 65 dB can be perceived as annoying or simply too loud. I am probably hardened due to my job and not the right person for this, but I find the Proscenic M7 Pro rather quiet.
By loading the video you accept the privacy policy of YouTube. Learn more
What you can’t see in the video is that the M6 Pro can sometimes handle an obstacle a bit rougher, although it usually detects it early. However, it is fast and effective on hard floors, but unfortunately a bit less so on carpets.
With its large tires, it gets on all my carpets, but …
Positive: It makes it over all carpet edges up to 2 cm and thus gets on the carpet at all.
Negative: It’s only really effective on carpets on the highest suction setting, so it could pull neat lint and dirt out of them.
You can reasonably expect even more on carpet.
The carpets in my home are not yet considered high-floor, but definitely thick-fluffy carpets, for which the carpet boost function, i.e. automatically switching up the suction power, would have been useful. So, as a carpet owner, you should always choose the highest suction level for the M6 Pro in everyday use.
Control via remote control
I know you are waiting for the app description. That’s understandable, since the app is the core of a robot vacuum with laser room measurement. But since we read in the comments here that some don’t want to use apps for privacy or other reasons, owners of the M6 Pro can also use the included remote.
The included remote control
Visually, this is loosely from the 90s and was originally sold as a TV remote, but it does offer a few functions:
Start, stop, send robot back to charging station.
Edge mode: the robot specifically scans walls and corners
Scheduling of working hours (but is much easier in the app)
Control via arrow keys
Setting the time on the remote control
Unusually for Chinese deliveries, the two AAA batteries required for operation are even included. Good thinking, Proscenic! I would like it if you could always order remote controls for a small amount of money and thus have the choice whether to use them or not.
The Proscenic Home App
The ProscenicHome (Android, iOS) app continues to be in mediocre but understandable German, even years after my first Proscenic robot. So you can control the M6 Pro on the go and at home, as long as it’s turned on and connected to the home WLAN.
The registration can be done via disposable email address.
Unfortunately, you have to grant the app one or two permissions as usual, but you can revoke them in the smartphone settings after the first integration. The Wi-Fi integration is simple and fast.
Man, Proscenic already has a few models on the market.
As always, we would like to point out that the robot can only be connected to 2.4 GHz networks, but not to 5 GHz networks. If you have any difficulties with the connection write us in the comments.
The app/WLAN integration went quickly for me.
Before the M6 Pro is allowed to work, we should get to know one or two settings and functions.
Functions and settings within the app
The app range of the M6 Pro is really impressive. You probably already know most of them from other vacuum robots, but some are at least unusual. Have a look for yourself:
Virtual remote control (arrow keys only)
Select suction mode: Quiet, Standard, Strong
Vacuuming or wiping or vacuuming and wiping selectable
Side cleaning specifically selectable (then drives specifically once walls and outer areas)
Spot cleaning: Clean at specific spot
Virtual wall/ Forbidden zones: Specify areas you don’t want the robot to clean.
Schedule working hours
DND mode (Do Not Disturb): time in which the robot should not work
Save map, reset map and display map list
Mute speech (“voice”) of the robot
Display consumables status
Zero calibration and reset to factory settings
send back to charging station
Download and install firmware updates (can be done automatically)
So the remote control is also available in virtual. One of the interesting features is the zero calibration, which allows you to “reset” the robot if it has orientation problems. What I am still most enthusiastic about after having tested dozens of models – and separates the wheat from the chaff – is the mapping.
Live mapping: Control from anywhere
One turn from the charging station, bam! The Proscenic M6 Pro has already scanned the area around it (seen on the left in screenshots). It briefly looks into the hallway and then has already recognized all walls and entered them into the virtual map. The laser distance sensor is of high quality and works extremely precisely.
The beginning of the mapping
This way, the user can see from anywhere (even on the go) where the robot is located in the four walls and has the opportunity to track whether the M6 Pro also travels through all areas and rooms through the mapping. It does, if it can reach them with its dimensions.
What I personally always like and find praiseworthy: Already during the very first cleaning, you can draw no-go zones on the map; ergo areas that the robot should avoid – which it does. This saves you the trouble of clearing away cables and toys that the robot does not recognize via laser. Tip: Zoom in for more accuracy when drawing in.
Provided the robot makes its maiden voyage under supervision, which is recommended. The no-go zones are the yellow boxes on the following screenshots:
The Proscenic M6 Pro doesn’t skip any area or room – unless you want it to.
Once the maiden voyage is complete and the robot has autonomously returned to its charging station (from which it should always start), a pop-up message asks us if we want to save the map. We would like to. This will allow us to take advantage of more handy app features and improve cleaning in the long run.
The M6 Pro updates the map on every turn, so it doesn’t get irritated by objects suddenly in the way.
Save the map? You bet!
I like two things about the mapping compared to other models here: it covers larger areas in one piece than most other robots. It’s also quite fast when doing so; the work rate is lower on some flagship models. It also didn’t cut its teeth on several carpet edges.
Still, the Proscenic M6 Pro cuts a good figure in the four walls.
Selective room division
These two somewhat unwieldy terms from the headline mean nothing other than that the M6 Pro can independently recognize room boundaries and color them on the virtual map. This then looks like this as a saved map:
The rooms can be named for the user’s orientation.
If you are not satisfied with the automatic division of the robot vacuum cleaner, you can connect or separate the individual rooms. Except for one room separation, however, I was very satisfied with the result at my home.
The selective room division allows you to have only individual rooms cleaned, for example, if you messed around at breakfast or everything fell on the floor while chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
If you use Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home at home, you can start and stop the robot by voice (not tested). The activation word is “ProscenicRobot.”
Voice control is possible.
The wiping function: nice to have
Yes, such a hybrid water tank is an exciting affair in itself. However, only if you really want to use the wiping function. And the M6 Pro’s wiping function isn’t exactly the best thing in the world.
Attach the mop attachment to the underside, and the M6 Pro will know to vacuum and/or mop.
The amount of water that is dripped onto the microfiber cloth can be adjusted in the app. And also whether the M6 Pro should also vacuum while wiping. All well and good, but the M6 Pro does not manage to exert enough pressure on the mop – a problem of many hybrid models. Of course, this also means the floor doesn’t get as clean as you’d hope.
The mopping function is nice, but not insane
A typical problem of the wiping function that we observe again and again. If you are looking for a vacuum robot with a good wiping function, you might want to wait for the new Roborock S7, which could bring a good wiping function. With the Proscenic, it is nice to have and does no harm, but could be far more effective.
Bottom line: buy Proscenic M6 Pro?
To be honest, I didn’t expect too much from the Proscenic M6 Pro. The fact that the review ended up being so long is simply due to the fact that it surprised me in a positive way. Sure, the material used is not all that great and carpet lovers do not quite get their money’s worth.
But the robot vacuum does a really good job: A wide range of functions in the app, good to very good navigation, and absolutely sufficient suction power for hard floors. One of the devices that can be left to work without supervision after setting up no-go zones. The floor gets clean, what more do you actually want for the price?
Yes, from $500-up flagship models you then expect carpet detection, high-quality material and even more sensitive handling of furniture. But otherwise? Well done, Proscenic!
0
comments
