iRobot Corporation is an American technology company that designs and builds consumer robots. It was founded in 1990 by three members of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, who designed robots for space exploration and military defense. The company's products include a range of autonomous home vacuum cleaners (Roomba), floor moppers (Braava), and other autonomous cleaning devices.
In August 2022, Amazon.com, Inc. announced its intent to acquire iRobot for US1.7billion;thedealiscurrentlysubjecttoregulatoryapproval,andisfacinginvestigationsbytheU.S.FederalTradeCommission(FTC)andEuropeanCommissionforpotentialabuseofmarketpower.InJuly2023,Amazonreducedtheofferpriceto1.42 billion after iRobot raised $200 million in new debt to fund its daily operations.
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 home robots flagship, the Roomba, which sold a million units by 2004.
iRobot began being traded on 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.
iRobot has sold more than 30 million home robots, and has deployed more than 5,000 defense & security robots, as of 2020.
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 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.
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