Hasta La Gadget!

iRobot had a few surprises up its mechanical sleeves this week, including the Mirra 530 pool cleaning ‘bot. We’ll be speaking with the company’s outdoor product manager, Jeff Karlson about that device and the rest of the company’s diverse roster of products.

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with iRobot’s Craig Henricksen

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Out of the many head-turners that will show up at the pool this summer, one new gadget will certainly catch the eye of any geek getting his tan on. iRobot will be unveiling the Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot at CES next week, along with the Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot, both of which provide the same great robot-cleaning technology from the makers who brought you Roomba.

The Mirra 530 deep cleans any type of in-ground pool, both the surface and the water. iRobot has engineered the machine to remove all of the pesky gunk from your pool, including leaves, hair, and dirt. However, it also tackles the things you can’t see, such as algae, pollen, and bacteria as small as two microns.

The pool-cleaning robot can go through up to 70 gallons of water per minute and filter out all the debris that makes its way through. Thanks to its iAdapt Nautiq system, it’ll even automatically figure out the size of your pool to determine which cleaning program is the most efficient.

Furthermore, the company is also unveiling the Looj 330 gutter-washer to those outside of the US, and it’s the first time that iRobot is selling an outdoor unit outside of the US. The Mirra 530 pool cleaner will set you back a cool $1,299 (€1,499 in Europe) and will launch in the spring. The Looj 330 will also arrive in the spring, costing €299.

iRobot to unveil new cleaning robots at CES 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Geeks may not turn as many heads as the shirtless pool-boy as they waft around the grounds, but, thanks to technology, we’re finally able to wreak some revenge. The folks over at iRobot have cooked up the Mirra 530, a pool cleaning ‘bot that’ll sit above the Verro 500 in its lineup of aquatic sanitizers. It’ll much through up to 70 gallons of water a minute and will filter debris as small as two microns. Thanks to its iAdapt Nautiq system, it’ll even work out the size of your natatorium to determine which cleaning program is the most efficient. At the same time, the company is packing off the Looj 330 gutter-washer to the rest of the world — the first time it’s retailed an outdoor unit outside of the US. Ending the tyranny of Chet (they’re always called Chet, aren’t they?) will set you back $1,299.99 or €1,499.99 in Europe and will launch in both sides of the pond in the spring, at the same time the Looj arrives in the old world, costing €299.99.

Continue reading iRobot flaunts the Mirra 530 pool cleaning robot, sends the Looj 330 abroad

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Most companies might think twice about inflicting blunt force trauma upon their carefully crafted prototypes, but most companies just don’t love baseball the way iRobot does. While developing a mechanical hand for DARPA’s Autonomous Robotic Manipulation program, iRobot took a metal baseball bat to its three-fingered prototype. No need to cringe, though — the artificial appendage came away virtually unscathed. The hand’s durability comes from its flexible feelers, fingers molded from soft polymers with embedded tactile sensors. Rather than bending at metallic joints, these digits are pulled tight by inexpensive cables made from fishing line — not only can they take a beating, but should one snap, they’re easy to replace. The soft fingers can pick up small objects, such as keys or credit cards and can hold about 50 pounds before slipping up. The hand’s current iteration is in use on a DARPA test robot, but you can see the prototype take its licks in the video after the break.

Continue reading iRobot’s DARPA-funded mechanical hand can take a beating, lift 50 pounds

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iRobot’s DARPA-funded mechanical hand can take a beating, lift 50 pounds originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While baseball’s postseason moves on to its final round, football is just hitting its stride and NBA preseason action is just beginning to get interesting. This week Blade Runner gets yet another HD home release, there’s one more presidential debate, and on Friday the maker of Pushing Daisies returns for a one-off / backdoor pilot attempt called Mockingbird Lane — check out a teaser after the break. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

I, Robot (3D)
A 3D Blu-ray release isn’t uncommon these days, however I, Robot has a fresh twist: it wasn’t in 3D in theaters, ever. Fox has made the interesting decision of converting the flick in post and releasing a 3D version exclusively for the home. Fans of the 2004 Will Smith flick can snag a $24.99 Blu-ray 3D set, but if you pre-ordered at Comic-Con, it comes with a bust of the robot character, Sonny. We’ll have to wait and see if this trend takes off (Fox says it has more titles in the pipeline), or if people prefer the standard original releases.
($24.99 on Amazon)

Forza Horizon
The Forza series has brought its brand of sim racing to Xbox consoles for several generations, but this latest version takes all of its underlying technology on a trip to the arcade side of town. You won’t be doing so much tweaking under the hood this time, but there’s still a healthy selection of cars plus options for night and off road racing to keep you interested. Joystiq was impressed enough by its “massive toy chest of hyper-accurate Hot Wheels” to give it four out of five stars, racing fans can check out a demo on Xbox Live now.
($59.99 on Amazon)

World Series
Baseball fans, it all comes down to this. For the championship in 2012 the Detroit Tigers will face TBD in an epic battle that kicks off Wednesday night. Either St. Louis or San Francisco will be representing the National League in the World Series, but we’ll have to wait until tonight’s game to know which one. The days for the games are already locked in however, so clear your schedule as needed.

Continue reading Must See HDTV (October 22nd – 28th)

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Must See HDTV (October 22nd – 28th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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