| Thursday, September 13, 2007 |
| |
|
"iRobot seems to have another bot in the works dubbed "Connectr" -- at least if a recent trademark filing for "robots for video and audio monitoring, surveillance, and communication" is anything to go on. This one might be just for iRobot's military and public service customers, but we'll hope for a consumer-friendly score here to rival other web-friendly video bots out there."
Time to put on our detective hats! 
From the presentations shown above - we can see that iRobot planned to release 2 non floor cleaning floor robots in 2007. One of them is obviously the already released Verro, and the other is the same graphic that is used in the second page that shows multiple units around the home.
We now know that iRobot will actually be releasing a total of 3 robots in 2007 that fall into this category. The Verro, and 2 new robots that will be officially announced on September 27th. One of them is most likely the Looj, and the other is most likely these small, inside robots.
Curiously, they appear to be shown sitting on top of a dresser, and sitting on top of a couch, which is an odd place to put something that would be used for audio and video surveillance - but anything is possible...
This topic is currently being discussed in the following thread. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
It's settled: The robots truly are taking over. Consumer and military robotics specialist iRobot proved that humans can be all too human if they're trying to take a shot at the company's earnings power. Analysts were expecting iRobot to earn $0.09 a share on $53.3 million in revenues for its third quarter. Instead, the company got out a Roomba to sweep Wall Street away: It earned $0.39 a share -- more than four times the estimate -- on $55 million... |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
Our contest winner Kissmybot is one of the very first people to own the brand new Roomba Scheduler with Dustbin Alert!
He has posted some pictures of the new model, and compares it to the original Roomba Scheduler. Read on to see the differences between the two. Apparantly Dustbin alert is not the only upgrade that iRobot has included in this bad boy! |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
The RoomBuds have invaded RoombaReview! While we were innocently working on our forum expansion, our offices were invaded by a bunch of little disc shaped creatures. I'm not sure what happened next, but I suspect that Mooba the Cow may have drugged me.
Next thing that I knew, they had taken over a small section of the message boards. I'm a little frightened by them, so I've decided to let them settle in.
What is a RoomBud? The kids at myRoomBud.com say that they are simply costumes to dress up your Roomba. Personally, I don't think they are quite so innocent. Here is what other sites are saying about them:
engadget.com - "The way it scoots around the floor with seeming intelligence, feeds on scraps, and doesn't require daily walks to do its business, the Roomba would seem an ideal alternative to a house pet; all it's missing is a cute, cuddly visage. Now you can give your Roomba the face you always thought it should have with RoomBuds"
USA Today says "...this is just out of hand. I'll allow that the RoomBud is a clever idea, but you're starting to scare your friends."
Gizmodo says "Many users have already named and spoken to their Roombas, so it's really no surprise that they would be interested in these absolutely ridiculous (and somewhat sick, if I may add) animal covers, making these household cleaners seem even more alive."
You can visit the RoomBuds in their new forum, located here. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Wednesday, December 7, 2005 |
| |
|
ichiban_jay has posted pictures and a small review of the Metapo CleanMate 365 - an entry level robotic vacuum that retails for $88 at Geeks.com
|
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Tuesday, November 29, 2005 |
| |
|
BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 29, 2005--iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ:IRBT) today announced the iRobot(R) Scooba(TM) Floor Washing Robot has been honored with the International Consumer Electronic Showcase (CES) "Best of Innovations Design and Engineering" Award in the Home Appliance category. Scooba is the first floor washing robot available for home use. The robot was selected as a winner from a pool of more than 1,000 entries from 164 companies.
Each year since 1989, the International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards recognize the newest consumer electronic technologies that exhibit excellence in design and engineering. Best of Innovations Awards are given to the highly honored products in this group. Last year, the iRobot Roomba(R) Discovery Vacuuming Robot received the award in the Home Appliance category. "This marks the second year in a row that CES recognized an iRobot product as one of its most innovative technologies," said Greg White, executive vice president and general manager, iRobot. "The Scooba builds on the success of the Roomba Vacuuming Robot, taking the utility of home robots to a new level." Scooba's innovative cleaning process allows the robot to simultaneously prep, wash, scrub and dry hard floors, all at the touch of a button. Unlike a conventional mop that spreads dirty water on the floor, Scooba applies only fresh water and cleaning solution to the floor from a clean tank. Scooba can clean wet spills in addition to dirt and grime, and it is safe for use on all sealed, hard floor surfaces, including wood and tile. The iRobot Scooba Floor Washing Robot will be available at retail outlets in the first quarter of 2006 and can be pre-ordered online at irobot.com. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Thursday, November 10, 2005 |
| |
|
"CEO says money will be used to fund acquisitionsWith its PackBot becoming the first robot to ring the opening bell at the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York yesterday, Burlington's iRobot Corp. made its debut as a public company and shot up 11.25 percent for the day. Angle said the IPO succeeded because ''we were able to convey to potential investors that the age of practical robots is upon us." With the company's Roomba vacuum cleaning robots now in about 1 percent of American households, there is plenty of room for growth both here and abroad, he said. ''These robots are not gadgets for the digerati," Angle said. ''They're serious household appliances." |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Wednesday, November 2, 2005 |
| |
|
iRobot is now accepting pre-orders for the Scooba - The world's first robotic floor washer. iRobot is estimating delivery in 8-10 weeks, so it would appear that if it does ship before Christmas, pre-ordering might be the only way to receive it before then.
The Scooba preps, washes, scrubs and dries your floor - all by itself.
You can pre-order the Scooba here. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Saturday, October 15, 2005 |
| |
|
iRobot has done a major revision to it's website. Check it out here:
http://www.irobot.com
The new website includes more thorough and updated information, all new sections, new pictures, a new streamlined, easier to navigate design, as well as an all new international section that should be extremely useful for people outside the US. Check out the new international page here:
http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=136
The new site also includes new product videos, such as one for Roomba Scheduler, this video shows the same Coverage Per Room comparison video that was shown on HSN for the 2.1, it also includes an excellent example of Roomba automaticaly adjusting to a different floor type, very cool. Check out the new Roomba Scheduler video and more info on the Roomba at the new Home Robots section here:
http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=122
The new site includes a redesigned iRobot Store section, and as soon as you go there you can see special promotions and offers on iRobot's products. Now get this, when you go there now you can see an absolutely crazy deal which gives you $100 worth of accessories for FREE! Check it out here:
http://www.irobotstore.com |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Sunday, September 25, 2005 |
| |
|
First came the scheduler pack, which was the first product released by iRobot that had the ability to upgrade the firmware of the Roomba to give it new capabilities, and now we are hearing reports that technical support has been sending out the Roomba OSMO to update the firmware on your Roomba with an apparant fix for the dreaded 'circle dance'.
madrid sent in pictures of the device, along with reports that not only did it fix her circle dance problem, but it improved performance as well. It would seem that it incorporates many, if not all of the 2.1 firmware updates - which is great news for all of those people who don't want to spend $59 on the scheduler pack to upgrade their Roomba to 2.1.
This topic is currently being discussed in this thread. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Saturday, September 10, 2005 |
| |
|
Diane from Hammacher Schlemmer has confirmed that the 20+ hardware and software enhancements from the new 2.1 version are now included in the Roomba Discovery SE, and all new Roomba Discovery SE's sold by Hammacher Schlemmer include all of the following enhancements:
iRobot's new AWARE robotic intelligence provides greater room coverage.
A redesigned cleaning system with improved brushes which improves brush contact with floors and gives you better cleaning efficiency.
Easier cleaning.
Improved robot durability.
New brush bearings resist hair build up.
New Software that improves Roomba's cleaning efficiency.
Improved charge circuitry to provide longer overall battery life.
Improved side brush design.
Improved balance of the vacuum impeller.
Improved vacuum bin contacts.
Improved wire routing for system durability.
Optimized sensors for system efficiency.
Overall 20 enhancements to both hardware and software.
|
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
"iRobot Corp., the maker of the Roomba floor vacuuming robot and PackBot tactical military robots, filed with regulators on Wednesday to raise up to $115 million in an initial public offering of common stock.The Burlington, Massachusetts, company said in a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan are the lead underwriters for the offering." |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
HSN is now carrying a new version of the Roomba 2.1. The old model number was 4130, this model number is 4136.
<Update>
crestedmom pointed out that this is most likely just a new bundle of the 4130.
The new bundle contains 2 virtual walls, 5 extra filters, and the wireless remote control. The old bundle had only 1 virtual wall, 1 extra filter, the remote control and the homebase, but was priced $50 higher.
This topic is currently being discussed in this thread. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
iRobot will release a new version of its robotic vacuum cleaner, called the Roomba Scheduler, that comes with a brand new programmable remote and lets users schedule automatic vacuuming times. The vacuum itself comes with improved software, but is otherwise identical to the Roomba Discovery SE currently on sale. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
iRobot has teamed up with Clorox to create the iRobot Scooba.
The Scooba is the World's first Robotic Floor Washer, and iRobot CEO Colin Angle claims that it will revolutionize the way people clean their floors. The Scooba is designed to scrub and dry hardwood floors automatically.
Scooba, which will go on sale by the end of the year at a still undecided price, works in four stages. A high-velocity jet stream pushes loose particles into a dirty-water compartment. Then two nozzles squirt cleaning fluid from a clean tank, and a mustache brush spreads it around. A scrubbing brush then rubs the floor and, finally, a squeegee sucks the dirty liquid into the dirty tank. iRobot's sales pitch: the separate clean and dirty compartments allow Scooba to do a better job than humans, who tend to spread dirty water around. "We are not just going to replace mopping, we are going to obsolete it," Angle says. Humans, we imagine, will gladly turn over this particular chore to our automated friends. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
roombafan19 has launched a new Roomba tip site - RoombaHelp.com
The very first entry is one of the most detailed tutorials yet with all of the steps needed to fix the dreaded 'Circle Dance'.
|
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
iRobot has increased the MSRP of the Roomba Discovery to $279.99 and the Roomba Discovery SE to $299.99.
The price increase is effective immediately, but many retailers are still selling at the old prices. iRobot is requiring all retailers to raise the price to the new MSRP within the next couple of weeks.
If your interested in purchasing the Discovery or the Discovery SE, I would suggest that you buy one now before the price increase takes effect.
Find the best price on the Roomba Discovery SE
Find the best price on the Roomba Discovery |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Wednesday, February 16, 2005 |
| |
|
The American military is working on a new generation of soldiers, far different from the army it has. "They don't get hungry," said Gordon Johnson of the Joint Forces Command at the Pentagon. "They're not afraid. They don't forget their orders. They don't care if the guy next to them has just been shot. Will they do a better job than humans? Yes." |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Thursday, January 20, 2005 |
| |
|
Watch out Aibo. There's a new dog in town. Sony launched the market for robotic dogs in 1999 with the release of Aibo. But there's new competition from rival Sega Toys. On Wednesday, the Japanese electronics specialist took the wraps off its latest invention in Tokyo, a robotic canine known as idog that can be used to compose and play music. It also dances to the beat. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Wednesday, January 5, 2005 |
| |
|
| A robot being put into service in the pharmacy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will do everything except give shots. The robot will mix intravenous medications and prepare syringes — something officials say should reduce the potential for errors and improve patient safety... |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Friday, December 10, 2004 |
| |
|
Ever wonder what the world looks like from your Roombas point of view?
Andy Carvin decided to find out, and he posted a video at his website. |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Wednesday, November 10, 2004 |
| |
|
| In 2003, the United Nations Economic Commission forecast that sales of vacuum cleaning robots would reach 400,000 by 2006. On October 25th, 2004, iRobot announced the sale of its millionth Roomba, far exceeding the UN forecast! |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
| "RFID will be worth it so we can have a pickup robot. Although the pickup 'bot is probably more than a decade away, here's how it might work: Every item in your house — socks, eyeglasses, Cheez-It boxes, hockey sticks — will eventually come from the store with a tiny, almost invisible RFID tag attached. The tag will contain some information about its item, like "I am a box of SpongeBob Cheez-Its that expired last February." The tag will be able to transmit that data wirelessly over a short distance." |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
| "Canadian Tire will offer Roomba Red in the vacuum section of some of its 455 stores, and soon from iRobot's website. Offered for the first time in a Canadian retailer, Roomba Red sells for about $249 (Cdn.). " |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
"One local fire department has a robot on the force.
With help from State Senator Donna Boley, who secured matching state funds, the Mineral Wells Fire Department recently purchased "Sparky," a remote controlled dog driving a firetruck.
Firefighters control Sparky. He can talk to kids and kids can ask him fire prevention questions. They plan to bring Sparky to schools next week for National Fire Education Week.
The total cost for the robot was $10,000. " |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Friday, September 17, 2004 |
| |
|
Good news for those of us that are not fortunate enough to have enough real Cockroaches of our own, a team of scientists at U.C. Berkley have developed a robotic cockroach for us to enjoy. Oh yeah, and supposedly it will help with understanding how they move around as well...
"The hallmark of life is movement," said Robert Full, professor of integrative biology at UC Berkeley and leader of the team. "Yet, no single systems-level model, reaching from neurons to muscles to the skeleton to the whole body, can explain the control that makes movement possible. You have so many nerves and so many muscles, how in the world do you actually move forward?"
" Researchers from UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, Princeton University, Cornell University and Montana State University will focus on RHex, a short, six-legged robot that scampers like a cockroach, as a working model of the principles they're seeking to uncover. By tweaking the robot and using it as a physical model, they hope to tease apart the complex neural and muscular networks in insects. "
|
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Thursday, September 16, 2004 |
| |
|
News.com writes about the amazing RoboLobster, a slithering snake like robot, robotic flies, fish and even a wall-climbing gecko robot.
"Their field is often referred to as biomimetics, and the researchers who are developing robotic lobsters, flies, dogs, fish, snakes, geckos and cockroaches believe that machines inspired by biology will be able to operate in places where today's generation of robots can't go." |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Tuesday, September 14, 2004 |
| |
|
"Fujitsu Ltd. said Monday it has developed a robot able to lead the way and use a cart to wheel baggage, like a porter. "
"The robot, which is 130 centimeters tall and has a head and two arms, is expected to make its debut on the market in June 2005. Fujitsu sees it being used to help people at offices, department stores or airports. " |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
The Age has an interesting article on the state of robotics and where we are headed. From the Roomba to the Trilobite and the Robosapien to C-3PO - it discusses how robotics are poised to invade our homes in the next few years.
"Future Horizons, a semi-conductor analyst company based in Kent, in England, believes that by 2010 there will be 55.5 million robots, in a world market worth more than $75 billion - up from $6.13 billion last year. "
"The electronics industry is on the cusp of a robotics wave, a period in which applications are aimed at labour-saving and extending human skills," it reports. "
"Of those, it says that 39 million will be domestic robots and 10.5 million "domestic intelligent service" robots." |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Monday, September 13, 2004 |
| |
|
| It may eat flies and stink to high heaven, but if this robot works, it will be an important step towards making robots fully autonomous. To survive without human help, a robot needs to be able to generate its own energy. So Chris Melhuish and his team of robotics experts at the University of the West of England in Bristol are developing a robot that catches flies and digests them in a special reactor cell that generates electricity... |
|
Read more |
| |
|
| Friday, September 10, 2004 |
| |
|
It could be called a mechanical miracle -- a robot that walks on water.
With inspiration from nature and some help from research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a team led by Carnegie Mellon engineering professor Metin Sitti built a tiny robot that can walk on water, much like the insects known as water skimmers or Jesus bugs...
|
|
Read more |
| |
|
| |
|
iRobot announced a whole new line of Roomba robotic vacuums - the 'Roomba Discovery series'.
These totally redesigned Roombas will all contain a Dustbin that is 3x larger than previous models and a new dirt detection sensor that allows the Roomba to focus more cleaning time on dirtier areas. The flagship Discovery model will also automatically return to it's self-charging home base when it's battery is low, and charging time is now a reasonable 3 hours on all of the new models except for the entry level Roomba Red, which will have a 7 hour charging time.
All of the new models also come with a 1 year factory warranty standard.
The new models are as follows:
Roomba Red - MSRP $149.95
Roomba - MSRP $199.95
Roomba Discovery - MSRP $249.95
Roomba Discovery SE - MSRP $269.95 |
|
Read more |
| |
|
