The new Roomba from iRobot knows where it's going – TechCrunch

The i7 + offers improved mapping and automatic dump

The Roomba i7 + Looks like it looks like a Roomba. Few factors distinguish the product of the last generations. The rolls are of a bright green, as well as a large section of automatic scrapping of dirt just below. Beyond that, though, it's almost identical to what you'll find on store shelves.

For Colin Angle, co-founder and CEO of iRobot, the product is the culmination of nearly 30 years of existence of the company. "That's the thing," says the executive. "It's the Roomba that I've always wanted to do."

The latest version of the robotic vacuum cleaner represents a number of advances over its predecessor, the main one being the ability to know where she is going and to remember where she is. This is a skill that Angle has tamed for a few years, including several appearances on TechCrunch – and top in the list of the most requested features of the line.

The feature has been described in previous versions of the home robot. Last year, the company added Clean Mapping to the 900 series. The feature allows the robot to create an indoor map of the house, showing where Roomba has spent the most time and helping it get back in. at home, even on the other side of the house.

With the i7 +, Roomba will be able to recognize different rooms.

"The idea that we can build this system that remembers what is happening at home is a big step forward," Angle told TechCrunch. "The 900 cards were built, but did not call them back. The purpose of the organization of information to enable the smart home has required this robot. For the company, it's huge. We are a company specializing in the manufacture of robots and we organize a company that organizes spatial information at home. There is a data dimension for the business that we can now talk about. "

This is accomplished, in part, by a sharp increase in computing power – 50 times more than the 900 series, according to the CEO. While most users update their Roombas at roughly the same rate as smartphones (every two or three years), embedded technology allows the company to offer a device that is continuously updated for the duration of the device. product life.

"It's a lot more a platform at this point," says Angle. "We can improve your robot and you have to expect the robot to be more of a software product. Your ability to interact with her and the sophistication of what she can do at launch, compared to a year, will actually be very different. Next time he can be smarter about what he can do. "

iRobot gave us an overview of the product during a recent trip to its headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts. The iRobot HOME Lab is a 4,000 square foot fake house protected by a series of secure doors. It's a lot nicer and much bigger than my own apartment in New York, except for the notes on a different piece of furniture, warning visitors not to do things like lying on the bed.

The company showed the technology by mapping about half of the available space for the new Roomba, codenamed "Lewis", as a hint at halfway through the famous duo of nineteenth century American explorers. The combination of iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with VSLAM Location Mapping allows the robot to navigate to a destination chosen by the user. Recent additions from Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa allow users to control the robot with their voice.

There is another key hardware addition to the i7 +, which corrects another long-standing complaint with Roomba. The clean base is a large basket attached to the loading dock. Using the automatic Dirt Disposal system, Roomba is able to empty its own bin. Of course, you still need to clean the larger bin, but only 1 / 30th of the time of the embedded system. When this bag is full, the user will receive notification of the application.

The i7 + is in presale starting today, priced at $ 699. The clean base runs another $ 299. The robot will start shipping in September. You can also preview the system this week on TechCrunch Disrupt.