Roomba
Amazon’s $1.7B iRobot acquisition scrutinized by UK on competition grounds
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it’s assessing Amazon’s billion-dollar bid for robot vacuum maker iRobot. The case is still at its earliest possibl
Robot or fauxbot?
This is my week of debriefs. CES has a way of hurling you into the new year, kicking and screaming, and it can be hard to find your bearings as you emerge on the other side. As the dust has cleared, o
Finally, a Roomba that vacuums and mops
IRobot makes robots that vacuum. IRobot makes robots that mop. Other companies make robots that vacuum and mop. So, why doesn’t iRobot? If you had asked the company that question as recently as a fe
Amazon-owned MGM makes a viral video show with surveillance footage from Amazon-owned Ring
MGM (which is owned by Amazon) is making a viral video show based on footage from Ring security cameras (also owned by Amazon). The syndicated television show, “Ring Nation,” is poised to
Hardware design platform nTopology raises $65M
Software for hardware design is all the rage in the VC funding world these days. Following recent rounds from Flux and Bild, nTopology just announced a sizable series D of $65 million. The funding rou
iRobot’s poop problem
I’m all for encouraging more young people to enter STEM, to explore engineering and perhaps ultimately pursue a career in robotics. It’s a field whose importance will only grow with time, as more
The newest Roomba gets smarter as it vacuums
The Roomba is easily among the most ubiquitous robots in the world — but it has never been one of the smartest. On the whole, that’s not a major issue. The top-selling vacuum is good at what i
Amazon Web Services outage takes a portion of the internet down with it
Amazon Web Services is currently having an outage, taking a chunk of the internet down with it. Several AWS services were experiencing problems as of early Wednesday, according to its status page. Tha
iRobot issues warning for select Roomba i7+ docking stations over potential short circuiting
Robotic vacuum giant iRobot this week sent warnings to select owners of the Roomba i7+, noting that the Clean Base docking station has the potential to malfunction and short circuit. According to iRob
Connected Roombas get smarter with iRobot’s ‘Genius’ update
For iRobot, much of the last several years has been devoted to making its line of home-cleaning robots smarter. There hasn’t been much in the way of new hardware in a while, as the company focuses o
The robot homecoming is upon us
Robots were everywhere at CES, as has been the case for at least a decade. But there’s a different tenor to the robots shown off at the recent annual consumer tech event: they’re designed
The iRobot Roomba s9+ and Braava m6 are the robots you should trust to clean your house well
This holiday season, we’re going to be looking back at some of the best tech of the past year, and providing fresh reviews in a sort of ‘greatest hits’ across a range of categories.
iRobot’s newest mop and vacuum talk to each other to better clean up
Some spring cleaning news from iRobot. The Bedford, Mass.-based company just unveiled a pair of new robots designed to tag-team dirty floors. The Roomba s9+ and Braava Jet m6 both sport iRobot’s map
Colin Angle will be speaking at TC Sessions: Robotics + AI April 18 at UC Berkeley
Earlier this week, we added Anthony Levandowski to a growing list of headliners that already includes Marc Raibert, Melonee Wise and Ken Goldberg. We’re back with one more headliner to add to our al
Let your new Roomba build a Doom level of your house with DOOMBA
Some of you out there may be lucky enough to have received over the holidays a fancy new robot vacuum. Turns out it's even more useful than you'd think: in addition to cleaning your home, it can scan
iRobot i7+ initial impressions
After its go around my apartment, the i7+ is “still learning.” It’s fitting sentiment for the new Roomba, which iRobot is positioning as much as a platform as a robotic vacuum. Like a smartphone
Everyday home gear made smart
If you only have one smart home device, it’s likely something simple and fun like a voice-controlled speaker or color-changing LED light bulb. As you expand your smart home setup, you can begin to s
iRobot’s new Roomba knows where it’s going
The Roomba i7+ looks like, well, it looks like a Roomba. There are few factors distinguishing the product from the last several generations. The rollers are bright green, along with a large Automatic
The Google Assistant is now bilingual
The Google Assistant just got more useful for multilingual families. Starting today, you’ll be able to set up two languages in the Google Home app and the Assistant on your phone and Google Home
Roombas will soon be able to build a WiFi coverage map of your house
iRobot CEO Colin Angle has talked a lot about his company’s plans to make its popular robotic vacuum and integral part of the connected home. Honestly though, those plans have been pretty vague. Tod