Automatic litter boxes vary by brand and type of litter box. They usually have sensors, either for motion or weight, to tell when a cat has entered or exited the litter box. They can usually be customized and controlled through an app on your phone, or with a more rudimentary timer system, and the cleaning cycle will begin a short time after the cat has used the box. With dome-shaped litter boxes, cleaning will occur through a cycle where the litter spins and rotates around the spherical interior; larger dirty clumps will be deposited into the bin while clean litter passes through the grates and is recycled back into the litter box.
The Neakasa M1, for example, spins backward and then forward (instead of a spin cycle) to separate clumps from clean litter and deposit larger clumps into the waste bin. The Pet Zone Smart Scoop is the most rudimentary on our list, as it simply uses a rake attachment to scoop up larger clumps and deposit them into a waste receptacle in the back.