Carpets and rugs are where pet hair, crumbs, and dust go to die, so beefy (yet methodical) suction is key for homes with a lot of stubborn floor coverings. As a general note, upright vacuum cleaners typically have more suction power than compact robot vacs. But if you'd still prefer to outsource the job, look for a robot vacuum with at least 2,000 Pa in suction to ensure that the carpet fibers are being efficiently combed. (iRobot doesn't rate its vacuums' suction power, but Mashable has tested high-end Roombas like the s9+ and j7+ on carpets and rugs.) Most modern vacuums have a boost mode that automatically kicks in when the vacuum senses carpet. The same sensors should be smart enough to facilitate a smooth transition to dark hardwood floors and *not* mistake them for a cliff. Automatic emptying is huge for dealing with all of the gunk that should build up quickly if your robot vacuum is doing its job on your carpet. It's especially clutch for large homes or those with pets that inherently need more cleanup, requiring more frequent dust bin emptying. Rather than you having to manually dump the bin into the garbage and wrestle wrapped hairs with your bare fingers, a self-emptying robot vacuum empties itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock after each cleaning session. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be emptied themselves. Some rooms need to be tended to more often than others. A robot vacuum with LiDAR creates an internal map of your home's layout and can be sent to specific rooms or zones in the house, like the carpeted living room where the pets hang out or to the entryway doormat that's covered in dirt. If you prefer the TL;DR version: The best robot vacuum for carpet will have powerful suction and additional perks such as carpet detection, LiDAR mapping, and self-emptying.