You want a clean home? Sure, who doesn’t. Too lazy to clean it yourself? Absolutely. iRobot’s Roomba 880—the latest in its series of robot vacuum cleaners—was made for you. It’s the Rolls-Royce of highly motivated cleaning appliances, and it can take care of some serious dinge. Although it’ll cost you some serious cash.
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When most people hear the word "drone," they probably picture a cockpit-free plane zipping over the Iraqi desert. But there’s more to it than that. The Army is in the process of adopting a whole new generation of unmanned vehicles that will assist soldiers on the battlefield—and they’re by far the scariest remote-controlled cars you’ll ever see.
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Nearly everyone who’s purchased one the 10 million-plus Roombas sold around the world has inevitably asked the same question: whatever happened to Rosie? For all its charms, iRobot’s hockey puck-like floor cleaner will never compare to the Jetsons’ sass-talking maid. We’re living in an age of robots and we don’t even know it. They’re everywhere we look, but it’s hard to recognize them after countless science fiction books and movies have hammered home the image of electronic mirrors of ourselves. In order to embrace a robotic future, however, many have scrapped the traditional notion of the android.
“Building robot versions of people is very expensive,” explains iRobot co-founder and CEO Colin Angle. “The thing that iRobot had to do to become a legitimate business [was] take a great step away from the traditional notion of what a robot should be. Why should it be to vacuum that I need to build an upright person and give them a vacuum? Why not build the vacuum that can guide itself around, that can go under couches? You can make it radically less expensive.”
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Filed under: Robots
I guess you can say that technology has certainly made our lives a whole lot easier over the years. Imagine if you had to iron your clothes the old fashioned way, it would have taken you a whole lot longer to go through a pile of shirts than with today’s steam irons with Teflon-coated undersides that make them glide over your clothes as though you were an ice skater performing an Olympic routine. The vacuum cleaner is another home appliance that has definitely gotten a whole lot smarter, and iRobot has been at the forefront for quite some time now. Their latest device is known as the iRobot Braava Floor Mopping Robot which will arrive in Braava 320 and Braava 380t models.
The iRobot Braava has been specially designed to systematically and efficiently dry or damp mop the entire floor – taking just a single pass to do so. It is capable of automatically dry- and damp-mop hard floors via a couple of cleaning modes, ensuring that dirt as well as the numerous colonies of dust bunnies will remain under control at all times. Braava makes use of disposable or reusable cleaning cloths which can be attached and removed in a jiffy. In fact, using the Braava is a cinch – all you need to do is to push a button, and the Braava will start to perform a mop up operation on your behalf, and once it is done, it will not just lay at the last spot but rather, return to where it began.
You need not worry about the iRobot Braava creating a din whenever it works – it will function in a whisper quiet manner, featuring a soft-touch bumper as well as quiet motors, so that it will clean up without disrupting your daily activity or sleep. The Braava 380t is slightly different since it includes expanded features such as the Pro-Clean System which will dispense liquid throughout the cleaning cycle, a fast charging battery, and a Turbo Charge Cradle Accessory that automatically juices up the robot in just a couple of hours. The asking price for the Braava starts at $199 a pop.
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[ iRobot launches the Braava floor mopping robot copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Wondering what would become of the plucky Mint ‘bot after iRobot swept up its creator, Evolution Robotics? The company clearly thought it was time for a name change — it’s the iRobot Braava from here on out. The cleaner has inherited its older sibling’s good looks, from the square build to the little diamond up top. Like the Mint, the Braava line pushes a cloth around your floor to pick up dirt instead of relying upon suction. It’s got two modes: dry or damp, and in both cases is designed for a light cleaning in one go, rather than the Roomba or Scooba’s multi-pass technique. There are two models, the 320 and the higher end 380t, which features some nice amenities like a faster charging battery and liquid dispensing. The Braavas are available now, starting at $199 at the source link below.
Source: iRobot
iRobot announced today that it has achieved a significant milestone of selling more than 10 million units around the globe. The company already offers a broad portfolio of robots that do cleaning jobs and much more. Today, the company announced two models of the Braava Floor Mopping Robot, Braava 320 and Braava 380t. These robots have been designed to systematically and efficiently dry or damp mop hard floors, keeping them free of dust and other debris.
Both Braava robots are capable of cleaning virtually all hard-surface floors, including vinyl, hardwood and laminate. They use disposable or reusable cleaning cloths which can be easily attached or removed. The robots start simply with the push of a button and once they’re done, they return to the point from where they started. There are two cleaning modes. In Dry Mop mode the robots will sweep back and forth in straight lines using dry cleaning cloths to scoop up dirt and dust whereas in Damp Mop mode they use a special back and forth mopping action with damp cleaning cloths to lift any dirt and grime off the floors. The expanded features of Braava 380t include a Pro-Clean system that dispenses liquid during the cleaning cycle and a bigger battery. Braava floor mopping robots are now available from iRobot’s website, pricing starts at $199.
Braava 320 And Braava 380t Floor Mopping Robots Launched original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Cleaning robots don’t grab headlines – what with the DARPA Robotics Challenge, NASA’s nuclear powered dunebuggy on Mars, exoskeleton intrigue, ASIMO’s new training, etc. What those fancy robots don’t have, however, is a current and growing presence in our homes. A recent Japanese survey breaks down some interesting data:
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Japan: Not Always as Tech as it Seems
Often discussed, but difficult to appreciate if one’s never been here, is the notion of Japanese technological duality, or contradictionism, if you will. Among the favorite targets are the fax machine and its death grip on relevance, banking stuck in 1997, and very late-to-the-game smartphone adoption. These exist side-by-side with some of the world’s most advanced robotics research, a plurality of global industrial automation, the world-standard high-speed shinkansen trains, nationwide 4G wireless coverage, etc.
A lot of Japan has remained unchanged for, ohhhhh… a few thousand years, and one of the technological hangers-on is the humble broom. While one can find a standard plastic broom with plastic bristles anywhere, there are just as many, if not more, shiny new cleaning tools with bamboo handles and some kind of dried grass or an entire plant just stuck on the end.
One might argue that if it’s not broke, blah blah blah, but try effectively sweeping anything other than a lawn with a tumbleweed wired onto the end of a stick. Granted, they’re used primarily for outdoor cleaning – but still, that they exist alone is a curiosity.
(Editor’s Note: Though we’re making light of the issue here, it’s also quite nice to be spared the noise and air pollution of leaf blowers and lawn mowers here in Japan. Mid-sized weed eaters, small engine rotary grass cutters, are pretty much the only motorized outdoor landscaping tools in use.)
So, arguably, in a country where all public school students spend at least 10-15 minutes a day cleaning their own classrooms and buildings by hand, where the verb「掃除」(“sō-ji;” cleaning) is often pronounced with an honorific prefix, and a generalized reverence for things being clean & tidy pervades much of everyday life, the leap to robot cleaners is an interesting one, but one that’s gradually being taken. Japanese buyers’ most common leap is this:
Yep, according to a new survey report from Tokyo-based Seed Planning Market Research and Consulting (市場調査とコンサルティングのシード・プランニング), Boston, Massachusetts-based iRobot’s Roomba, available here since 2004 (and first to market), holds a 75%+ share of Japan’s robo-cleaning market.
Seemingly unrelated, the luxury of home cleaning robots and the practical utility of disaster response robots have one thing in common here in Japan: iRobot. The American company makes both Japan’s #1 selling cleaning robot and the first robots able to enter and inspect the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster zone. This again, is a matter of timing; iRobot’s PackBot and Warrior models have been tested and deployed in active war zones for more than a decade, and Roomba’s 2004 introduction in Japan was far ahead of any viable domestic models.
In second and third place, respectively, are domestic models from Tsukamoto Aim (below left) and Sharp’s Kokorobo series (below right):
(Another Editor’s Note: It’s not being, and would be unfair to imply here that all models sold by Tsukamoto Aim license and take design cues from Hello Kitty, but the existence of this product is, well, it’s just… Japan!)
To Buy or Not to Buy and Why: Reasons & Numbers
As elsewhere, cleaning robots got a slow start here in Japan. Shiny new gee-whiz product purchasing patterns from early adopters gave the market an initial bump, but average consumers were hesitant – rightfully so – early Roomba and domestic models just didn’t, you know, work very well, and reviews and word of mouth weren’t kind to the inspired, yet uninspiring machines.
The tech has caught up, however, and sales in Japan are booming. According to Seed Planning, since 2008 the home cleaning robot market has seen a 6-fold increase in yearly sales (approx. 380,000 units sold in 2012), and they project sales of 9o0,000 units in 2018. In a nation of about 128 million people, if realized that’s some serious market penetration. Given that homes in Japan generally aren’t all that big and don’t have a lot of carpeting, it’s all the more impressive. Among Japan’s massive, dominant middle-class, such expenditures are a luxury but not quite as economically extravagant as one might think – but still, 900,000!
In addition to evaluating brand preference and sales figures, Seed Planning’s survey among 400 cleaning robot owners and 300 non-owners also gauged reasons for consumers’ purchasing and not purchasing. Current owners included simple convenience and easing the cleaning burden as the most common reasons for buying, and, true to form in the Japanese consumer tech market, a lot of people just wanted to try a “cute” new product (in that vein, see video below for some of the best viral marketing cleaning robot makers didn’t but could have ever asked for). Non-owners cited cost and concerns over the robots’ ability to properly clean as the most common barriers to purchasing (best seller iRobot’s prices range from $650 – $800, Sharp’s Kokorobo models are comparable, and Tsukumoto Aim’s, at $100-$150 for the disc-shaped models, up to $400 for the unfortunately named “Hobot” glass cleaning model, are vastly more affordable).
Why Care? Because Live-In Social Robots Begin, Labor Shortages Pend, and $¥$¥$¥$¥$¥$!
Okay, to be fair, it’s understandable if you’re yawning at the ferociously unsexy topic of cleaning robots. But here’s the kicker: one has to fully grasp and appreciate that these unassuming little pucks of technology are the vanguard of personal service robot deployment and use. The quest toward a friendly, conversational, perhaps dressed-like-a-French-maid home and/or industrial service robot has to start somewhere – and clearly, it’s on. For now these simple machines operate within a very narrow spectrum of ability, but they are, nonetheless, primarily autonomous robots existing side-by-side with human beings, doing a job, becoming part of our conceptual landscape; these are the babysteps of human/robot integrative socialization, and while still novel to us, for future generations they might be simply obligatory and obvious.
Japanese society, as per usual, presents a unique market observation opportunity. Women do most of the cleaning and housework here, and if, as predicted and arguably very necessary, more women begin entering more of the workforce, in addition to the impending and unavoidable large-scale human labor crisis facing the country, then the seemingly over optimistic sales projection of 900,000 units in 2018 makes a lot more sense.
It’s often claimed, but seldom detailed how, the robotics industry is going to have any practical impact on the Japanese economy. (which it’s going to desperately need in 50 years when – and this is inevitable – 30% of what might be the world’s most advanced capitalist economy’s consumers have passed away, and due to extremely low birth rates, go unreplaced). Well, let’s see: how about 900,000 units times even the low-end cost of a cleaning robot plus maintenance, accessories, upgrades, etc.? Not a bad economic push, that.
For now, iRobot’s running away with the Japanese sales cake, but there’s no shortage of competitors on their way up. One review site, LesNumeriques, found 24 (!) viable models from around the world worthy of consideration:
So, there you have it. But, if even now the subject of cleaning robots does absolutely nothing for you, if you remain unmoved by the practical genesis of in-home, someday social robotics, if the intriguing demographic factors are just meh, and if you care little about potentially lots and lots of big-time money changing hands here in Asia, then we’ll simply leave you with these words:
Cat Riding a Roomba In a Shark Costume Chasing a Duckling
(and if that doesn’t strike a nerve, someone should take your pulse)
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Reno J. Tibke is the founder and operator of Anthrobotic.com and a contributor at the non-profit Robohub.org.
VIA: ITMedia (Japanese/日本語); MyNavi (Japanese/日本語); Seed Planning Market Research & Consulting (Japanese/日本語)
Images: iRobot; Sharp; Tsukamoto Aim; LesNumeriques
The company that became known for its humble robots for cleaning homes will soon be selling a fancy robot for offices. Coming in 2014, iRobot’s Ava 500 will let you work both remotely and on site. It has a 21.5″ HD screen, a webcam, a microphone and its predecessor’s ability to find its way around on its own. Depending on your office dynamics, the Ava 500 will either be a hilarious or a creepy sight.
According to iRobot, the Ava 500 can explore and map its assigned area on its own. The idea is for its user to direct it remotely using an iPad app. You just have to pick the robot’s destination and it will figure out how to get there on its own. So no, you won’t be able to “drive’ it and yes, it’s still pretty impressive.
Aside from the iPad app, iRobot says it will provide users with Cisco TelePresence EX60 monitors. The Ava 500 can also adjust its body’s height so that its monitor will be at the appropriate level at all times. When you’re done using the Ava 500, it will return to its charging station on its own. It’ll probably chat with the other ‘bots about that cute copier and how annoying that security cam dude is.
I wonder how many takes that meeting scene took. If I was there I wouldn’t be able to stop laughing when the robot rolls in the room. He looks constipated. And can you imagine a future where the only “employees” in the office are all Ava 500s? The Ava 500s will be so busy they’ll have to use other Ava 500s to do their job.
[iRobot via The Boston Globe]
Despite everything Apple is expected to unveil at WWDC today, a corridor-mapping human scale telepresence robot probably won’t be on the agenda; for that, we’ll have to wait for iRobot and Cisco’s Ava 500. Built on the iRobot modular Ava platform, the video collaboration ‘bot mounts a Cisco EX60 telepresence screen – complete with HD
It’s no secret that iRobot’s domestic cleaning machines can carry some interesting things while they putter around and wipe up your floors, and iRobot and Cisco have taken that notion to its next logical step. The two companies have just announced that they’ve taken this smart roving robotics platform and stuck this pricey enterprise video conferencing monitor on top, all to facilitate West Wing-style walk-and-talks with colleagues who couldn’t be bothered to schlep into the office.
We’ve seen plenty of curious telepresence rigs before, but this is one of the few that makes it a point to break away from the confines of a desk. Once everything is put together, the Ava 500 stands at about 5’5″ and artfully dodges office debris the same way the more janitorial units do. Meanwhile, those remote users also get to control that roving robot by way of an iPad app, though the process isn’t as hands-on as one might hope — the Ava 500 handles most of the control itself after the user selects a destination so it’s perfect for remotely touring dangerous corners of the factory floor, but not so perfect for doing donuts outside of Conference Room B.
In case the notion of buying one of these to remotely dick around with friends has you reaching for your checkbook, you may want to look into a less ambitious way to go. iRobot looks at the Ava 500 as a strictly enterprise device and it has a price tag to match: according to the Boston Herald, the Ava will cost companies in the neighborhood of $70,000 when it launches next year, or about $2,000-$2,500 if you lease it monthly.
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