"Yes, there is a gadget for everything," writes Brian. "My brother-in-law, who is keen on gadgets, recently upgraded his robotic vacuum cleaner and suggested I might like his old one to do our hardwood floor. The cleaner required its own station which took up a lot of room, remained on standby using electricity, had disposable bags and if I wanted would also wash the floors again requiring a special solution. It also required a phone app to be downloaded and connect to my internet. After about an hour of unsuccessfully trying to get it to work I politely declined the...