iRobot Corporation has announced it achieved a milestone in the home robot market with its home robot sales exceeding five million units.
According to Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot, this achievement represents an important milestone for iRobot and also for the robotics industry.
Angle noted that iRobot started creating practical robots to help people accomplish tasks that they either don’t like to do or don’t have time to do and there has been widespread acceptance of this
technology as sales of home robots have exceeded five million units.
Founded in 1990, iRobot launched its iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot in 2002. This robot maintains a clean home by picking up dirt, dust, pet hair, dander, cat litter, crumbs, leaves and other debris as it autonomously navigates throughout the user’s home.
The robot makes multiple passes over the same area to ensure complete coverage as it lifts debris from carpets and hard floors and Roomba can identify furniture and other obstacles and slow down its approach, then gently touch the obstacle with its bumper before changing direction. Due to its round shape, Roomba also does not get stuck in corners or between other obstacles.
The specially-designed technology and suspension also allows Roomba to maneuver over cords and extract itself from rug fringe and tassels. It is also possible to set Roomba to clean on a schedule and automatically return to its home base after finishing cleaning or when its battery is running low.
Roomba also detects dirtier areas and will respond by increasing vacuuming intensity and cleaning pattern. This ensures deeper, concentrated cleaning in that area. The spinning side brush also enables cleaning of corners and along edges and automatically adjusts from hard floors to carpets and avoids stairs and drop-offs.
The pricing for the Roomba 400 Series starts at $129.99 with the Roomba 500 Series - which incorporates iRobot’s advanced coverage and cleaning technology - starting at $279.99.
Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Calvin’s articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Stefania Viscusi
