An electrical charging station for charging an autonomous robot having a battery, comprising: a first charging member on the electrical charging station configured to receive a second charging member on the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging; a communications device configured to receive from the autonomous robot an identifier indicative of a type of battery on the autonomous robot; wherein the communications device includes a transceiver for communicating with a corresponding transceiver on the autonomous robot and/or wherein the transceivers are optical transceivers and communicate using an IrDA communications protocol; a memory for storing a plurality of charging profiles, at least one of which corresponds to the identifier, and/or wherein the identifier comprises one or more of a battery type, an autonomous robot type, or a battery condition, and wherein the charging profile includes a constant current portion and a constant voltage portion; a power supply, electrically connected to the first charging member, configured to charge the autonomous robot according to a selected charging profile; wherein the charging profile is selected based at least in part on the identifier received from the autonomous robot; a current sensor configured to sense a current output from the power supply to the autonomous robot and a voltage sensor configured to sense a voltage across the first charging member applied by the power supply; characterized in further comprising a processor configured, in a first step, to control the power supply to charge the autonomous robot according to the selected charging profile and to provide the autonomous robot with a state of charge periodically during charging; wherein the SOC constitutes a number of coulombs, determined by the processor based on the current output from the power supply over time, transferred to the autonomous robot; and/or wherein the processor is configured to charge the robot in the constant current charging portion of the charging profile using a constant current until a predetermined voltage level is reached and to then charge the robot in the constant voltage portion of the charging profile using a constant voltage. wherein the processor is configured, in a second step, to terminate charging when an upper battery voltage threshold has been reached or when a predetermined current level is being output by the power supply, both cases indicating a fully charged battery, and wherein a last SOC provided to the robot by the processor before terminating charging is used by the autonomous robot as the SOC when the autonomous robot undocks the charging station. a first charging member on the electrical charging station configured to receive a second charging member on the autonomous robot when the autonomous robot is docked with the charging station for charging; a communications device configured to receive from the autonomous robot an identifier indicative of a type of battery on the autonomous robot; wherein the communications device includes a transceiver for communicating with a corresponding transceiver on the autonomous robot and/or wherein the transceivers are optical transceivers and communicate using an IrDA communications protocol; a memory for storing a plurality of charging profiles, at least one of which corresponds to the identifier, and/or wherein the identifier comprises one or more of a battery type, an autonomous robot type, or a battery condition, and wherein the charging profile includes a constant current portion and a constant voltage portion; a power supply, electrically connected to the first charging member, configured to charge the autonomous robot according to a selected charging profile; wherein the charging profile is selected based at least in part on the identifier received from the autonomous robot; a current sensor configured to sense a current output from the power supply to the autonomous robot and a voltage sensor configured to sense a voltage across the first charging member applied by the power supply; characterized in further comprising a processor configured, in a first step, to control the power supply to charge the autonomous robot according to the selected charging profile and to provide the autonomous robot with a state of charge periodically during charging; wherein the SOC constitutes a number of coulombs, determined by the processor based on the current output from the power supply over time, transferred to the autonomous robot; and/or wherein the processor is configured to charge the robot in the constant current charging portion of the charging profile using a constant current until a predetermined voltage level is reached and to then charge the robot in the constant voltage portion of the charging profile using a constant voltage. wherein the processor is configured, in a second step, to terminate charging when an upper battery voltage threshold has been reached or when a predetermined current level is being output by the power supply, both cases indicating a fully charged battery, and wherein a last SOC provided to the robot by the processor before terminating charging is used by the autonomous robot as the SOC when the autonomous robot undocks the charging station.