Wednesday, September 3, 2008

New Roomba cleans up after pets

By Mass High Tech Staff

Consumer robot company iRobot Corp. has released new versions of its Roomba vacuum-cleaner robots for pet owners and small-business owners.

The company’s Roomba Pet Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot 532 and 562 are intended to pick up pet hair and dander. The units have extra brushes, larger sweeper bins and cleaning tools to keep the brushes free of debris like kitty litter and dander, the company said. iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) said the price of the robots will range from $349 to $399.

The 532 features “virtual walls,” which use infrared beams to confine the robot to a specific area. The 562 can be programmed to vacuum at regular intervals when the owner is not at home.

The company also released its Roomba Professional Series Vacuum Cleaning Robot 610. The professional series is intended to clean large areas such as offices and other high-traffic areas, with a high capacity sweeper bin, extra brushes and filters, and cleaning tools, the company said.

The 610, which will sell for $599, can clean until the battery is almost drained and then return to its home base, allowing more cleaning time in larger homes and businesses, according to the company.

On Tuesday, iRobot announced co-founder and chief technology officer Rodney Brooks had stepped down from the company. Brooks will start a new company called Heartland Robotics, which iRobot said would not be a competitor.

Also on Tuesday, iRobot landed a contract worth up to $200 million to supply the U.S. Army with military robots, such as its PackBot, spare parts, training and repair services over the next five years.

Bedford-based iRobot reported a 2007 net income of $9.1 million on revenue of $249.1 million.