The Verge's Sheena Vasani has reviewed the SwitchBot Bot Rechargeable, a small robotic switch-flipper she adopted to help tackle a cockroach problem in her kitchen. The device lets her turn on the light switch remotely before entering the room, sparing her from tiptoeing through the dark and risking treading on the bugs. The gadget attaches near a switch or button with adhesive and uses a tiny robotic arm to physically press or pull it, effectively making "dumb" appliances a little smarter.

Priced at $33.99 (though discounted to around $25 at the time of writing), the Bot can automate anything with a physical button, from coffee makers to garage doors, and can be voice-controlled via Alexa or Google Assistant when paired with a SwitchBot Hub. Its main difference from the cheaper original is a USB-C rechargeable battery, which is more eco-friendly but lasts up to six months per charge versus 600 days for the disposable-battery model. Vasani found installation fiddlier than expected, requiring trial and error to position the arm and a plastic switch attachment correctly, but once set up the Bot performed reliably, stayed securely attached and never missed a scheduled action.