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26-474: The iRobot R-Gator is an unmanned robotic platform from iRobot Corporation and John Deere . The 1,450 pounds (660 kg) robot is built upon Deere's M-Gator currently in use by the US Military. The R-Gator can operate autonomously, performing perimeter patrol and other missions while keeping personnel out of harm's way. It can operate autonomously by following a map or choosing its own waypoints to reach

52-509: A deal worth US$ 1.7   billion. The deal was subject to federal approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other regulatory agencies. In September 2022, the FTC requested more data from both companies, amid concerns about Amazon's market power and the privacy implications of it gaining information about consumer floorplans. In June 2023, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority cleared

78-465: A docking station to which the robot returns to recharge at the end of its cleaning cycle. They work in conjunction with accessories that use both IR and RF . The company intentionally allows customers to hack the robot because they want people to experiment and improve the product. The API for the serial has been published and the serial port made easily accessible to make modifications easy to perform. In 2015, iRobot released an updated Roomba called

104-578: A full product release in 2006. Early models required either a special non-bleach cleaning solution or white vinegar to wash hard floors. Newer units could use plain water. Several versions were marketed. iRobot discontinued the Scooba line of products in favor of the Braava line of floor moppers in 2016. Dirt Dog was a variant of Roomba designed for workshop use that was released in 2006. The product picks up small objects such as nuts , bolts , dirt, and debris from

130-471: A pre-determined destination. It can also do "follow the leader" operations to keep up with troops, be tele-operated , or driven manually if needed. In military exercises, the R-Gator has shown an ability to carry gear for soldiers to lighten their loads. It also demonstrated its capacity to carry and drop off explosive ordnance disposal robots weighing more than 100 pounds (45 kg). An R-Gator could deploy

156-427: A remote-controlled robot patterned after a toy tank with an auger mounted on the front. The robot fits inside most gutters to clean out debris stuck inside them, such as leaves and pine needles. It has long treads on its side which allow it to move inside the gutter. The auger dislodges and removes almost all of the debris inside the gutter by flinging it sideways into the air. Looj also has a detachable handle/remote that

182-512: A test person sitting on a toilet, testers were assuming that they did not expect to give up their privacy and such data leakage, while iRobot took the standpoint that such persons are paid and expect their data to be shared. iRobot sent 2 million images to Scale AI, an image annotation service provider, and mentioned it terminated its business relation with Scale AI. iRobot has been criticized for attempting unregulated use of 6240-6740 MHz band, and asking for an FCC exemption to do so. This band

208-421: A workshop or similar floor. The unit was able to be used on hard floors, shop carpets and industrial floor surfaces. The Dirt Dog was discontinued in late 2010. My Real Baby was a robotic toy marketed by iRobot from 2000 and produced in partnership with the toy manufacturer Hasbro . It is no longer in production. This product, which was meant to look like a human infant, employed animatronic facial expressions and

234-623: Is an inflatable arm robot developed by iRobot. The inflatable arm uses pumps to inflate the arm. Since the arm uses strings and actuators, no motors were used at the joints. FirstLook is a small reconnaissance robot weighing 5.2 lb (2.4 kg) with a top speed of 3.8 mph (6.1 km/h) and line-of-sight control range of 200 m (219 yd). It has visible and thermal cameras and infrared sensors to gather and transmit images of buildings, caves, or other locations. It can participate in explosive ordnance disposal by carrying 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) of C4 explosive to an IED. The robot has

260-435: Is for use for the lawn mowing robot without needing to use an electronic fence as a boundary marker, instead by using radio beacons. The band falls into a band reserved for radio astronomy use, thus interfering with radio telescope observations of methanol 's 6.66852 GHz emissions. Reverse breakup fee A breakup fee (sometimes called a termination fee ) is a penalty set in takeover agreements, to be paid if

286-429: Is programmed through a tablet or smartphone. iRobot acquired Root Robotics in 2019. In 2019, iRobot received FCC approval to move forward with their plans to commercialize a robotic lawn mower capable of using wireless localization technology, which they announced would be branded as "Terra". Terra uses mapping to navigate and mow the lawn in a straight-line pattern. It uses smart beacon stakes to localize itself in

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312-419: Is used to carry and operate the robot. It was discontinued in 2017. Mirra was a swimming-pool cleaning robot, the successor of Verro. Mirra cleaned a pool's floor and walls of large and small debris. It was discontinued in 2014. In April 2016, iRobot sold off its Defense & Security unit, with a new company being formed called Endeavor Robotics. This unit became part of Teledyne FLIR in 2019. AIRarm

338-646: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill . In February 2016, iRobot announced that it would sell its military robotics business to Arlington Capital Partners , in order to focus more on the consumer market. In November 2021, iRobot announced that it had acquired Aeris Cleantec AG, a Swiss air purifier manufacturer. iRobot began selling Aeris-designed air purifiers through its own brand in 2022. By 2020, iRobot had sold more than 30 million home robots, and deployed more than 5,000 defense & security robots. On August 5, 2022, Amazon announced its intent to acquire iRobot in

364-675: The European Commission . iRobot was founded in 1990 by Rodney Brooks , Colin Angle, and Helen Greiner after working in MIT 's Artificial Intelligence Lab . In 1998, the company received a DARPA research contract which led to the development of the PackBot . In September 2002, iRobot unveiled its flagship home robot, the Roomba , which went on to sell a million units by 2004. iRobot began being traded on

390-712: The NASDAQ in November 2005, under ticker symbol IRBT. On September 17, 2012, iRobot announced that it had acquired Evolution Robotics , manufacturer of automated floor mopper Mint. In addition to deployment as bomb-disposal units with the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan, PackBots have been used to gather data in dangerous conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster site, and an iRobot Seaglider detected underwater pools of oil after

416-532: The Roomba 980, with a camera that uses VSLAM technology to map out a room and the objects in the room to clean the entire floor of a home. The Roomba 980 also includes carpet boost, increasing suction when the Roomba detects itself on carpets or rugs. This was also one of the first Roombas to include Wi-Fi connectivity with app control. In May 2022, iRobot announced the new operating system and software platform for its Roomba vacuum cleaners, iRobot OS. The company stated

442-583: The ability to mesh together a network of feeds from other robots to extend the range of its sensors. The FirstLook has CBRN detectors and is semi-autonomous, meaning it can perform tasks like course correction and flipping itself over without direct intervention. 100 were bought by JIEDDO in March 2012 and the Pentagon has ordered hundreds more. When training data for the Roomba J7 vacuum robot ended up on Facebook, like

468-640: The acquisition, saying it wouldn't lead to competition concerns in the country. The European Commission launched a formal investigation into the proposed purchase in July 2023, citing that it would "allow Amazon to restrict competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners ('RVCs') and to strengthen its position as online marketplace provider." In July 2023, Amazon reduced the offer price to $ 1.42   billion after iRobot raised $ 200   million in new debt to fund its daily operations. In January 2024, Amazon and iRobot announced they would end their plans to merge in

494-545: The face of opposition from EU antitrust regulators. This resulted in Amazon paying iRobot a $ 94   million reverse breakup fee , iRobot laying off 31   percent of its employees, and CEO Colin Angle departing. Gary Cohen was appointed as the company’s new chief executive in May 2024. Roomba is an automated vacuum cleaning robot first released in 2002. Roomba is powered by a rechargeable battery, and many models are available with

520-462: The move from iRobot genius to iRobot OS will aid in giving their products a deeper understanding of the user’s households and the users habits, in addition to voice commands and greater objected identification. In October 2022, iRobot released the Roomba Combo, which includes mopping capabilities. The robot is able to differentiate between hardwood floor and carpet, and it lifts its mop to the top of

546-448: The robot when transitioning to carpet. Braava is iRobot's floor mopping robot, designed to work on hard-surface floors. Braava uses disposable or microfiber cleaning cloths for damp and/or dry cleaning. The 380t model comes with a Channel 4 NorthStar Navigation Cube, which is set on a high surface and directs the robot around the area it cleans. The design was known as the Mint until 2013. It

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572-550: The smaller machine and provide unmanned perimeter security while the EOD robot dismantles the bomb. The first R-Gator sale to the military was to the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command for autonomous perimeter security. IRobot A planned takeover deal by Amazon.com for US$ 1.7   billion, announced in August 2022, collapsed in January 2024 amid antitrust scrutiny by

598-410: The target backs out of a deal (usually because it has decided instead to accept a more attractive offer). The breakup fee is ostensibly to compensate the original acquirer for the cost of the time and resources expended in negotiating the original agreement. A breakup fee also serves to inhibit competing bids, since such bids would have to cover the cost of the breakup fee as well. A reverse breakup fee

624-546: The yard, and is taught a boundary by the user (where the robot should avoid going, such as a garden). Terra includes Wi-Fi capabilities and a docking station for recharging. Terra was available as a beta program in 2019 in Germany and the United States. The program was indefinitely postponed in March 2020. Scooba was iRobot's floor-washing robot . The product became commercially available in limited quantities in late 2005 before

650-443: Was developed by Evolution Robotics , which was acquired by iRobot in 2012. Create is a hobby robot, released in 2007. Create offers users the possibility of changing or adapting the robot's functions through experimentation with the basic elements of robotics as well as by adding sensors, grippers, wireless connections, computers, or other hardware. Root is an educational robot designed for use by children learning how to code. It

676-519: Was developed from an emotionally expressive and responsive robot developed by iRobot corporation called "IT." ConnectR was a videoconferencing robot which was prototyped in 2010. It did not pass pilot tests and was not sold commercially. Verro was a swimming-pool cleaning robot released in April 2007. Looj was a gutter-cleaning robot released in September 2007. Looj is not an autonomous robot , but rather

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