| For those of you that have not heard of the Irobot | | | | a swimming pool cleaning robot and finally the strange |
| Roomba, it is a robotic vacuum cleaner. It is a small | | | | Looj a gutter cleaning robot. |
| round device that automatically goes around your | | | | It is not only the team at Irobot Roomba that are |
| home Vacuuming and cleaning as it goes. The robot | | | | building robots to make our lives easier and freeing |
| can be programmed to carry out its operations on a | | | | up time from daily chores. Lawnbot has launched a |
| timed schedule. So that your home can be vacuumed | | | | range of robotic lawn mowers, doing a similar job as |
| whilst you are at work. | | | | the Irobot Roomba but for your lawn. It has also |
| I am an avid science fiction fan and an engineer by | | | | moved to the pet care sector with robotic feeders |
| trade, so the theory of robotics has been a common | | | | and litter tray cleaners. |
| dream in my life. So when my uncle showed me his | | | | So is this a sign of things to come? Irobot roomba |
| Irobot Roomba I was sold. The fact that it beeps like | | | | reports that in 2008 they had sold more than 2.5 |
| R2D2 from star wars was a bonus. A few months I | | | | million units to homes around the world. The initial |
| bought one as a present for my wife's birthday and | | | | challenge for these robots to come into our homes is |
| we have been extremely happy since. Especially with | | | | the price tag. Once the volume starts to move the |
| two cats in the house the usual balls of cat hair on | | | | price will drop and similar to all other technical |
| the floor are now gone with no effort. | | | | gadgets. This is when we start to see them hit main |
| This then had me thinking about all the science fiction | | | | market. |
| movies, books and cartoons I had seen back in the | | | | So is it Sci-Fi or thing to come, The easy answer is it |
| 80's 90's and wondered how close we really are to | | | | is here and is going to become a major part of |
| some of the elements becoming true. The Irobot | | | | homes. As cell phones have mimicked the star trek |
| Roomba is the main robot of the Irobot corporation, | | | | communicator, Robotic vacuum cleaners are now |
| but looking closely they are expanding into other | | | | becoming a common sight in homes. When you |
| areas with household chore robots. | | | | combine that with computers becoming more central |
| Having taken the principle that anything that is a | | | | to a home. There will quickly be a point when a home |
| hardship or dangerous should be done by a robot. | | | | central server using a wifi signal can control and |
| This comes from their military wing of robotic design, | | | | organise. All these separate robots. From a command |
| where bomb disposal robots are a big seller. They | | | | from your mobile phone, you can arrange for the |
| have employed this principle into the Irobot roomba | | | | lawn to be mowed as you have unexpected guests |
| but also the Scooba a floor washing robot. The Verra | | | | coming for dinner. |