So our original hunch was correct: a new Roomba is currently in beta stage and it will be an evolution of the 550 series. It will be all black with a textured surface and this model, strangely enough, is missing the top handle. It will have a smaller base and lighthouses – the invisible walls you put in the house – that use C batteries and have an on/off switch. There is a better and bigger filter and the brushes are softer.

UPDATE – We have the first picture of the new Roomba.
Read More

Could a new Roomba be hitting the streets? Tipster Kason Jinkaid writes:

Not sure if this excites you, but I heard from a Costco salesperson
that they’re getting new Roombas “soon”, though that could mean
months. They aren’t stocking the ones they’ve been carrying (model
550). Also Woot just sold off a bunch for 535s for ~$100 less than
what they usually sell for, so are probably clearing out inventory.

Read More

Mr. Pitiful really likes his Roomba. So much so that he wrote a song about it… and made a music video for it. It’s actually from about a year ago but sometimes songs about robotic vacuum cleaners take time to develop a following.

I haven’t written a song about my Roomba yet, but that’s mostly because it constantly gets tangled up in the ends of my area rug and I’m pretty sure the battery is shot even though I’ve only used it a handful of times.

[via BBG]

iRobot’s Roombas have been enjoying brisk sales in Japan for a few years now. To further boost brand awareness, their sales agent in this country collaborated with Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty and other extra-cute comic characters, to produce a Hello Kitty-Roomba.

The Nippon-only device is based on the Roomba 530 model, with the only difference being the cute design. Available from September 30, the Hello Kitty-Roomba costs $800. It’s available online only and is limited to 500 units.

Sorta like this, but not really because iRobot still doesn’t have the proper photos up yet

IRobot has a couple of new Roombas for you pet owners. Two, to be exact. There’s the Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot and the Professional Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot, both of which sound like a real hoot. The Pet Series has a few things that make cleaning up after your pets a little easier, including a large sweeper bin (for collecting pet hair and dander and all that muck, shudder) and an extra set of purposeful brushes. Our cup runneth over, clearly.

Meanwhile, the Professional Series steps things up a notch by including even *higher* capacity storage bins and a bin for the Roomba itself. This one is for small businesses or other higher traffic areas, where a regular Roomba isn’t quite up to the task.

This guy is still a virgin.

Have any of you hacked your Roomba?

via Kotaku

Robot Stock News has discovered a patent by iRobot for a “Lawn Care Robot” similar to the company’s line of robotic vacuum cleaners. While robotic lawnmowers aren’t new, they’ve had a hell of a time replacing conventional lawnmowers. You know, the kind that actually cut your entire yard in a reasonable amount of time even though you have to do all that inconvenient “walking” we’ve heard so much about.

The biggest challenge for current and previous robotic lawnmower offerings has been how to keep the things inside your yard. Various methods involving line-of-sight spikes or buried wiring have been used. The iRobot patent alludes to the idea of GPS navigation or some sort of audio beacon to keep the mower within your property lines.

Read More

Not only do we bring you a video of a Roomba that’s been converted into a Bluetooth-controlled real-life Pacman, but we bring you a video of how it was done and it munching dirt in action.

This is, of course, a hack, not something you can pick up yourself. And it’s in Japanese. But it’s still cool.

We’re still trying to find the Donkey Kong-mod for throwing barrels at Italian plumbers.

This is a cool idea, although I’m skeptical of it being cost effective. And considering you’ll have to clean off every one of those expensive robots after each spill, it’s a messy proposition as well. Still, it’s a great idea and could provide a nice boost to spill containment efforts. It’s still a concept at this point, but feel free to DIY one in your garage (but maybe add longer arms).

Roomba Watch Out [Yanko Design]

Like Roombas? Want to see them singing and dancing? Hate your job and want to spend a few minutes watching videos? Yeah, thought you did.

Feature: Top 5 Roomba Hacks [TechEBlog]

iRobot, makers of all things Roomba, has pulled the curtain back on its newest house-cleaning tool: the iWoman Depending on which model you get, the iWoman ranges in size from about 4′11″ to 5′11″, and cleans all messes around the house. The best part: You don’t need to plug it in, meaning you save on your electric bill. Instead, it runs on food, water, and oxygen.