I am tired of manual sweeping every day, especially with two shedding golden retrievers in the house, and I need to know which robot vacuum is worth buying for high-traffic pet areas. My main concerns are the "object avoidance" capabilities specifically for stray toys and how well these units handle the transition from hardwood floors to thick area rugs. I’ve seen prices ranging from $200 to over $1,200, so I’m trying to determine if the self-emptying base stations and LiDAR mapping features truly justify the premium cost or if a mid-range model would suffice for a standard 1,500 square foot layout.