Become an early beta tester
Before manufacturing begins, we are placing 30 final Robotin R2 Pro prototypes into everyday homes for three months. Lab floors only tell you so much. We want to know how the robot handles the flooring, the routines and the households it will actually be living with.
The programme is open to Kickstarter backers only. The 30 places are released in three phases.
The full R2 Pro, three months early
You get the complete Robotin R2 Pro package as a final prototype, set up and running on your own floors well before the manufactured units ship.
A direct line to the engineers
Your reports go to the people building the robot, not a support queue. Faults and rough edges are exactly what we want to hear about.
Real influence on the roadmap
Cleaning schedules, app behaviour, and future modules are shaped by what testers tell us is missing.
Your pledge stays untouched
The test unit is separate from your reward. You still receive your final manufactured unit from the production run, exactly as pledged.
How it works
Apply below
Two minutes. We ask for your pledge email and backer number so we can confirm eligibility.
We verify your pledge
Every application is checked against the Kickstarter backer list by hand. You will hear from us either way.
We match homes to the programme
We choose a spread of flooring types, carpet areas, pets and household sizes, so the testing covers the range of homes the robot will live in.
A prototype ships to you
Selected testers get the full package for a three-month test period, in exchange for regular feedback. Depending on how testing goes we may ask for it back afterwards, and we may not. Your pledge reward arrives separately either way.
Before you apply
You need to be a Kickstarter backer of the Robotin R2 to take part. Apply with the same email address you used for your pledge, and have your backer number to hand. We check every application against the backer list by hand, so applications from non-backers cannot be processed.
Two things to be clear about. The test period is three months and the feedback commitment runs across all of it, so please only apply if you have time for that. And the test unit is a prototype, not your pledge reward: your reward is a final manufactured unit and it reaches you separately, whether or not you take part here. We may ask for the prototype back once testing is done, depending on how it goes, and we cover the shipping if we do.
Not backed the project yet? You can still join the campaign on Kickstarter and apply afterwards. Full details are in the beta tester terms and conditions.
Apply to be a beta tester
Takes about two minutes. Every field is required except the last question.
Beta programme
Frequently asked questions
Yes. This programme exists to get units to the people who funded the robot first, so every application is checked against the backer list. If we cannot match your email and backer number to a pledge, we cannot process the application.
There are 30 places in total, released in three phases, and applying does not guarantee one. We choose a deliberate spread of homes: different flooring, different carpet areas, different pets and household sizes. A home that is mostly hard floor tells us less than one with carpet throughout, which is why we ask.
Three months, starting when your prototype arrives. The feedback commitment runs across all three months, not just the first few weeks, so it is worth checking you have the time before you apply.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and we cannot tell you which at application time. It depends on the state of the unit when testing ends, what the testing turns up, and what we need the prototype for afterwards. We may ask for it back, or we may never ask at all. If we do ask, you get reasonable notice and we pay the shipping.
What does not depend on any of that is your pledge reward. You receive a final manufactured unit from the production run whether the prototype goes back or stays with you.
Four things, none of them heavy on their own. Short written reports on how the robot is performing. Short video reports showing it at work, and the carpet before and after. A brief question form every week or two. And occasionally, if something needs talking through properly, a phone call.
None of it is onerous, but we do need testers who reply. That is the whole trade.
No. There is no charge to take part and we never ask for payment details at any stage. The prototype is supplied free, and if we later ask for it back we cover that shipping too.
We ship the programme to the countries our Kickstarter backers are in. If you backed the project and we can reach your address, you can apply.
Tell us, and do not try to fix it yourself. Faults are the point of a beta programme, not a problem you caused, and you will not be charged for them. We repair, replace or collect the unit at our cost unless the damage came from misuse.
We contact selected testers directly with dates. Applying early helps, because we work through applications in the order they arrive.
Still apply. No robot climbs stairs, ours included, and we would rather test in homes that reflect that reality than pretend it away.
The full terms are set out in the beta tester terms and conditions. In short: you receive the full R2 Pro package as a prototype, you give written and video feedback across three months, you return it if we ask for it, you can leave whenever you like, and we never ask for payment. Your Kickstarter pledge is separate and unaffected either way.
It is used to check your eligibility, to match homes to the programme, and to ship a prototype if you are selected. We contact you at the email address you provide, and we never ask for payment details at any stage. Section 11 of the terms covers this in detail.