iRobot’s
Roomba™ Rolls In and Cleans
Up
iRobot has
announced the first automatic
home floor-cleaning appliance
in the U.S. – The Roomba™
Intelligent Floor Vac. This
diminutive round household
helper is just a bit wider
than the average Frisbee™
and a little over 3.5 inches
tall. It does more than just
carpets! It also sweeps most
household surfaces including
wood, tile and linoleum. One
early user claims that it
also cleans her mattresses
and sofas.
 |
| iRobot's
Roomba |
How
does it work?
Roomba™ uses a two-stage
cleaning mechanism featuring
a high efficiency particle
vacuum and cleaning brushes
that provide exceptional surface
cleaning. The advanced intelligent
navigation system allows the
floor vac to achieve thorough
coverage of open areas as
well as a special edge cleaning
mode to clean against kickboards
in the kitchen. The Roomba™
is equipped with Cliff Avoidance
Sensors to prevent it from
driving off edges or down
stairs. Because of its compact
size the Roomba™ can
clean under beds and furniture
that are less than 4 inches
off the floor.
How
can you get one?
The Roomba is available for
$199.95 (SRP) at the Sharper Image , directly from iRobot
and other online retailers.
It should be available in
stores sometime in October.
About
iRobot
iRobot was founded in the
1990 by a group of pioneers
in artificial intelligence
from MIT. iRobot has produced
a wide variety of intelligent
robots including the military’s
PackBot™ which is being
used for to hazardous operations
like exploring the caves in
Afganistan. On the other end
of the spectrum it also created
Hasbro’s My Real Baby™.
 Recently
the company has formed a consumer
robotics division to apply
its expertise in AI and cost
effective manufacturing to
develop consumer appliances.
“Roomba™ Intelligent
FloorVac is an important next
step in iRobot’s mission
to provide technology innovations
for the home and simplify
people’s everyday lives,”
said Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot.
Published: September 26, 2002
|
