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Tag: iRobot

  • FTC Taking a Closer Look at Amazon’s iRobot Acquisition

    FTC Taking a Closer Look at Amazon’s iRobot Acquisition

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking a closer look at Amazon’s iRobot acquisition.

    Amazon announced in August that it was buying iRobot for $1.7 billion. Almost immediately, privacy advocates raised alarms over the deal, especially given Amazon’s privacy policies and issues with Alexa and Ring security products.

    According to Reuters, the FTC is taking a closer look at the deal. The privacy implications, as well as Amazon’s already dominant position in the smart home market, are the driving factors for the FTC.

    Given the current scrutiny Big Tech is under, and the measures lawmakers are taking to prevent large companies from buying out smaller competitors, it would not be surprising if the FTC scuttles the deal.

  • Amazon Will Acquire iRobot for $1.7 Billion

    Amazon Will Acquire iRobot for $1.7 Billion

    Amazon has announced it will acquire iRobot, the maker of robot vacuum cleaners, for $1.7 billion.

    iRobot is a popular maker of robot vacuum cleaners, using LiDAR and other technology to effortlessly navigate the home or office, vacuuming all the nooks and crannies, so you don’t have to. Amazon sees the company as a natural fit for its existing lineup of home products and plans to scoop it up for roughly $1.7 billion.

    “We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” said Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices. “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent in ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”

    iRobot also sees the deal as a natural fit, one that will give the company the resources and backing to expand its products and services even more.

    “Since we started iRobot, our team has been on a mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers’ lives easier, leading to inventions like the Roomba and iRobot OS,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission. I’m hugely excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can build together for customers in the years ahead.”

    One of iRobot’s defining characteristics is how easy it is to service the devices and replace worn-out parts. The company went to great lengths to design its robots so even a non-technical novice could easily and intuitively maintain and repair the devices. Hopefully, Amazon will leave that hallmark feature intact.

  • iRobot Guarantees Its Newest Roomba Will Detect Pet Poop & Avoid It

    iRobot Guarantees Its Newest Roomba Will Detect Pet Poop & Avoid It

    iRobot has announced its latest Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, and it has a major new improvement for pet owners.

    Roomba vacuum cleaners have increased in popularity and have a devoted fanbase. Nonetheless, as many pet owners can attest, the robot cleaners have not always done a good job of avoiding pet poop, instead smearing it across the floor.

    The latest model, the Roomba j7+ is supposed to address that issue. iRobot is so confident the j7+ will avoid pet waste that the company is promising to replace any units that fail to do so.

    “Smart home products often fail to live up to consumer expectations when they lack context of the home, cannot learn independently and require complex programming for basic functionality. We understand home environments and lifestyles are unique and that it’s important to offer intelligent, simple-to-use products that more thoughtfully work within the boundaries of house rules set by the user,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “The Roomba j7+ with iRobot Genius provides greater levels of personalization, new home automations and the ability to get smarter over time, allowing the robot to deliver a more intuitive cleaning experience so people have more time to do what’s most important to them.”

    It’s a safe bet the j7+ will be a big hit with pet owners.

  • Drunk Roomba? iRobot May Not Have a Fix For Weeks

    A software update that made people’s Roombas act like they’re drunk may not be fixed for several more weeks.

    After updating to firmware 3.12.8, customers started reportingtheir Roombas behaving strangely. Some were wandering around like they were drunk, bumping into furniture, taking much longer than they should to clean an area, recharging several times more than necessary, not being able to go back to their charger and getting stuck in the middle of a room.

    iRobot reached out to The Verge and said some i7 and i9 robots were impacted, with a software update being responsible. The company is working on a new software patch that should fix the issue, but it’s only expected to roll out “over the next several weeks.”

    In the meantime, it looks like Roomba users will have to break out the old Hoover.

  • Roomba Vacuum to be Acquired Next by Google?

    We may have been a little off with the high-tech expectancies of The Year 2000, but with the introduction of iRobot’s Roomba Cleaner, we’ve gotten a little closer to that grand Jetsons Lifestyle we’ve all been waiting for.

    Accompanied by a cheer heard around the world as every child (and cat terrified of the vacuum cleaner) realized that one of the most hated chores in the history of KidHood just might be abolished, we’ve had our eye on the Roomba vacuum since 2005.

    This month, the Roomba vacuum has quickly experienced an impressive peak in consumer interest after a Google acquisition not a week old. Touted as a “Robot You Can Buy Right Now” by CNN, the Roomba vacuum comes in a 600, 700 and 800 series, and travels from room to room extracting dirt from your carpet. You can schedule the cleanings, and it has nifty features such as edge cleaning capabilities, dirt detection, a HEPA filter and more. Not only is the Roomba vacuum effective and practical for some, it’s also becoming one of those new gadgets Everyone Has To Have:

    Check out iRobot’s site to see how iRobot uses this same technology in military and civil defenses. Fast times are up ahead!