Robotic blocks can morph into any type of furniture
The block-like bots attach to each other with tiny hooks. They can also attach to completed pieces of furniture and move them around, which could benefit people with limited mobility.
Hands on: iRobot’s new Scooba 450 cleans better, charges faster, speaks verbal cues
Hate cleaning as much as you hate dirty floors? The Scooba 450 lets you put down the mop and bucket for good — for a price.
From Smartphones to Skynet — How Handset Technology Could Power Home Robots
Smartphones are becoming more powerful and useful with each new iteration. Looking at what these devices are capable of got me thinking: Could such technologies power inexpensive, intelligent home robots? The potential is there as our handsets now have several senses and connectivity to the Internet.
iRobot and the Frankenstein Complex
When will American’s learn to stop worrying and love robots? That question must be echoing inside consumer robotics company iRobot (IRBT).
The Burlington, Mass., company went public nearly two years ago and its share price has spent much of last year below the $24 offering price. Revenue from consumer products –60% of iRobot’s revenue last year – fell 1% in the first half of 2007 from a year ago.
Some of that decline was tied to waning appeal of iRobot’s flagship consumer product, the Roomba vacuum. But iRobot had some new products up its sleeve, and it announced them last week: a robot to clean out rain gutters, and a mobile robot that can send images of kids, pets or the infirm to remote PCs. The response? iRobot’s stock was down as much as 3.2% Friday, hardly a standing ovation.
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