A few of iRobot’s discontinued robots, together with the Mirra, Looj, Scooba, and Terra. | Supply: iRobot, Wikipedia, and Adobe Inventory
Proper now, iRobot Corp.’s future is unsure. The corporate formally began the Chapter 11 chapter course of earlier this month. It stated it expects the proceedings to be completed by February 2026 and for Roomba robotic vacuums to function usually through the restructuring.
Whereas iRobot is finest recognized for the Roomba, in its over 35 years of operation thus far, the Bedford, Mass.-based firm has developed a variety of different robots. Let’s look again at a few of the many robots iRobot has developed moreover the Roomba.
iRobot roots have been in house exploration with Genghis
The Genghis robotic used plane servos. | Supply: Smithsonian Air and House Museum
Genghis was initially developed on the MIT lab of Rodney Brooks, one in every of iRobot’s co-founders, round 1991. Brooks designed Genghis for house exploration.
The six-legged, insect-like robotic used airplane servos for its leg motors. Genghis demonstrated how complicated behaviors, resembling crawling, may very well be achieved utilizing a community of easy, decentralized controllers somewhat than a central management system.
As an alternative of getting a central controller, every leg on the robotic had its personal built-in sensors that will sense obstacles in its path. The legs have been programmed with a number of primary behaviors and will individually react to totally different situations.
Genghis has been on show on the Nationwide Air and House Museum of the Smithsonian Establishment in Washington, D.C.
Ariel detected and eradicated mines in surf zones
Earlier than promoting its navy robotics unit in 2016, iRobot developed many robots for navy purposes. Ariel was one of many earliest. Developed in 1996, this robotic walked sideways, like a crab, underwater to seek for mines on the ocean ground.
Whereas iRobot took organic inspiration for Ariel’s design, the robotic wasn’t vulnerable to being caught on its again like a crab flipped by the waves or a predator. As an alternative, Ariel may reorient itself and its legs to maintain strolling with its physique the wrong way up.
Regardless of these benefits, Ariel additionally had its drawbacks. The robotic’s legs have been vulnerable to getting caught in massive rocks.
iRobot’s best-known navy robotic: PackBot
iRobot’s PackBot. | Supply: iRobot
iRobot first began creating PackBot in 1998 after it received a DARPA contract to construct a tactical cell robotic. The robotic would ultimately evolve into a complete collection of navy robots designed for situational consciousness, reconnaissance, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), amongst different missions.
In 2001, the PackBot helped to look the World Commerce Middle after the September 11 terrorist assaults. A 12 months later, the robotic was deployed with U.S. troops for the primary time.
In 2009, the U.S. navy had greater than 2,000 PackBots on station in Iraq and Afghanistan. A couple of years later, PackBot was used to collect knowledge on the damaging circumstances on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe web site.
iRobot launched a number of totally different PackBot variants. These included PackBot Scout, the fundamental PackBot configuration; PackBot Explorer, which had a payload that allows it to peek over obstacles; and PackBot EOD, which specialised in EOD.
My Actual Child was first iRobot dwelling system
It may be stunning to be taught that iRobot’s first robotic for dwelling use wasn’t the Roomba vacuum cleaner however as an alternative was My Actual Child, a robotic toy. iRobot produced this product in partnership with Hasbro and launched it in 2000.
My Actual Child was meant to appear like an actual human toddler. It featured animatronic facial expressions to be emotionally expressive and responsive.
Submit-Roomba, iRobot explored mopping
In 2005, iRobot launched the Scooba, its floor-washing robotic. The corporate saved the Scooba line alive till 2016, when it acquired Braava from Evolution Robotics.
Early iterations of the Scooba required both a particular non-bleach cleansing resolution or white vinegar to clean laborious flooring. Whereas later fashions may scrub flooring with simply plain water.
iRobot discontinued the Braava line in 2025 when it shifted to its Roomba-branded vacuum/mob mixtures.
Grime Canine tackled industrial flooring
iRobot’s subsequent business robotic was the Grime Canine, launched in 2006. This variant of the Roomba was designed to brush up in workshops. It may decide up small objects like nuts, bolts, grime, and particles from a workshop or related ground.
Grime Canine labored on laborious flooring, store carpets, and different industrial ground surfaces. iRobot discontinued that robotic in 2010.
iRobot dabbled in passion robots with Create
In 2007, iRobot launched Create, a programmable cell passion robotic. The robotic enabled customers to alter or adapt the robotic’s capabilities by means of experimentation with the fundamental components of robotics.
Customers may additionally add sensors, grippers, wi-fi connections, computer systems, or different {hardware}.
Within the years following its preliminary launch, iRobot launched Create 2 and Create 3. Later, in 2019, iRobot acquired Root, an academic coding robotic.
Verro and Mirra took on pool cleansing
Throughout its heyday, iRobot launched two totally different strains of pool-cleaning robots. Its first was Verro, launched in 2007. Verro was initially developed by corporations belonging to Aqua Merchandise Group, which had been within the pool-cleaning enterprise for many years. At launch, iRobot stated Verro may clear swimming pools from ground to waterline in 60 to 90 minutes.
In 2013, iRobot launched Mirra 530, one other pool-cleaning robotic. The robotic may clear a pool’s ground and partitions of enormous and small particles. Mirra was discontinued in 2014.
Distant-controlled Looj cleaned gutters
2007 was a busy 12 months for iRobot. Alongside passion robots and pool-cleaning robots, it additionally launched Looj, a gutter cleansing robotic.
Not like iRobot’s different choices, Looj wasn’t autonomous. As an alternative, it may very well be remotely managed to maneuver into most gutters and dislodge particles like leaves and pine needles.
The robotic was modeled after a toy tank with lengthy treads that helped it transfer contained in the gutters. iRobot discontinued Looj in 2017.
Seaglider was utilized in tutorial and navy purposes
iRobot developed the Seaglider, a dual-role autonomous underwater robotic, with the College of Washington. Seaglider may function for months over 1000’s of kilometers on one battery cost.
That robotic offered scientists and naval intelligence with oceanographic measurements and be utilized in navy purposes. In 2010, Seaglider helped to observe the Deepwater Horizon oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico. It detected underwater swimming pools of oil.
iRobot made foray into telepresence robots
In 2012, iRobot introduced the RP-VITA Distant Presence Robotic. This robotic was developed with InTouch Well being to permit distant doctor-to-patient consults. In 2013, it earned 510(ok) clearance by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used in hospitals.
iRobot stated the RP-VITA may very well be used for energetic affected person monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-surgical settings. Whereas iRobot helped develop this robotic, it was offered by InTouch Well being.
In 2013, iRobot labored with Cisco to carry the Ava 500 video collaboration robotic to market. The telepresence robotic may allow folks working off-site to take part in conferences and shows the place motion and site spontaneity are vital. Ava Robotics spun out of iRobot in 2016.
Terra, the mower that by no means left improvement
Whereas Terra was by no means really launched to the general public, it was nonetheless a notable a part of iRobot’s journey. Terra was iRobot’s robotic garden mower.
This product was formally unveiled in 2019 after which delayed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The corporate by no means returned to Terra after this delay.
