This excellent little critterbot is far smaller than the other robots in use by the military, and is being considered as a way to scout possibly-hostile buildings and areas. I was skeptical of its usability until I saw its little flippers come out and get it up that curb. It looks simple but it was probably very difficult to get the weight and center of gravity right on this little thing. It weighs less than a pound and fits in a big cargo pocket.
IRobot
by Devin Coldewey on May 19, 2009
by Devin Coldewey on May 8, 2009
This is very interesting as well as being just a cool picture. By working out how long it took for a Roomba to go through a room, turning the lights out and figuring out the exposure settings, this photographer managed to catch the path of the sucker throughout the whole process.
by Doug Aamoth on April 15, 2009
Doug Aamoth here in Boston at the 2009 RoboBusiness Expo with some fodder for the “Robots Will Eventually Rise Up and Kill Us All” debate. No matter which side of the argument you support, if you’re someday killed by an autonomous robot it won’t have been made by iRobot.
by John Biggs on December 30, 2008
This crazy looking thing could be hunting/killing you this year if iRobot has their say. It’s essentially a periscope attached to an iRobot Packbot that, as you can plainly see, can push a camera eight feet into the air. Called the Zipper Mast or the Situational Awareness Mast, it’s a pretty freaky looking device.
by Devin Coldewey on September 25, 2008
What is it about today? First hunter-killers, then Terminator spare parts, and now the machines are infiltrating our armed forces. Actually, it’s not such a big deal; the United States Army is simply continuing to take advantage of its contract with iRobot, which provides the Army with hundreds of Packbots, small robots suited for dirty or dangerous jobs. They’re pumping out about 100 a month with a total of 1800 shipped, which doesn’t seem like a lot unless you see them all together, rushing at you in a body, crushing you under their tiny treads and tearing at you with their tiny arms, as their cold, unblinking eyes look on with a mechanical indifference.
Individually, though, I’m sure they’re very helpful. I’ve heard stories of army engineers who have cried upon seeing their robot destroyed or irreparably damaged by a mine or RPG blast. Noble as it is, it is precisely that kind of emotion that will lead humanity to defeat in the coming Robocalypse.
Update: Yeah, that was autoplaying. Sorry. Video now inside!
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by Serkan Toto on September 16, 2008
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.
by Nicholas Deleon on September 3, 2008
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.
by Doug Aamoth on July 7, 2008
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.
by John Biggs on April 28, 2008
Who stole the sole?
Noah “Red Hot” Shachtman wrote a great piece on an iRobot insider who stole the plans for the company’s military Packbot robot and recreated the robot himself, becoming a direct competitor to iRobot. The thief, Jameel Ahed, was frustrated because he wasn’t given full control over the project. He quit the company and, after reworking the design, was able to recreate the Packbot’s special rotating paddles which kept it upright on rocky terrain.
Ahed started a company called Robotic FX and almost beat out iRobot for a military contract, leading the company to bring a lawsuit against one of its top engineers.
On Monday, August 20, a district court judge in Alabama issued a temporary restraining order against Robotic FX, demanding that it preserve “all evidence, information, data, and documents.” The next day, iRobot’s lawyers showed up at Robotic FX’s office, US marshals in tow.
They searched the office, then Ahed’s parents’ house, and finally headed to Hill’s apartment in Chicago. Ahed and Hill got there first, barely, and went in through the back door. Hill let the marshals in the front while Ahed ran to the bedroom. His laptop was there, its screen displaying a message that the hard drive had been wiped clean. He unplugged it, put it in a case, and slid the case underneath the bed. Then he went to the living room, where the marshals were asking Hill where the computers were. She didn’t mention the laptop. They found it anyway.
Ahed is currently banned from competing in robotics and iRobot eventually bought his assets, essentially folding in his copycat robot back into its own project. IP theft doesn’t pay, kids.
by John Biggs on January 8, 2008
Early in Colin Angle’s blogger round-table today, he recounted the story of Packbot, their first military robot. iRobot sent a team to Afghanistan in 2002 where they showed soldiers how to use and manage the new Packbot robot, a self-righting, remote controlled surveillance bot designed to enter a room or cave so soldiers don’t have to.
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by Bryce Durbin on April 16, 2007
by Bryce Durbin on April 11, 2007
by Seth Porges on April 1, 2007
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.
by Richard Ozerman on September 14, 2006
Press Release [Yahoo via MAKE]
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