iRobot Bankruptcy: End of the Roomba Era

iRobot, the pioneering company behind the Roomba vacuum cleaner, filed for bankruptcy this week. The move caps a turbulent year for the robotics firm, which invented the first mass-market home robot back in 2002. Founded in 1990 by MIT roboticists Colin Angle, Helen Greiner, and Rodney Brooks, iRobot started with military robots before pivoting to consumer products. The Roomba series revolutionized home cleaning, selling over 50 million units worldwide and making autonomous navigation a household norm.

The bankruptcy stems from a failed $1.7 billion acquisition by Amazon, blocked last January by the Federal Trade Commission over antitrust concerns. iRobot's co-founder Colin Angle called the opposition "wrong-minded," arguing it ignored bigger threats like Chinese competitors flooding the market with cheap alternatives. Now, the company plans to sell its assets to a Chinese manufacturer, potentially ending its independent run.

This saga highlights the cutthroat world of consumer robotics. While iRobot struggled with slim margins and rising competition, giants like Amazon eyed its tech for smart home dominance. Angle's frustration echoes a broader debate: Does heavy regulation stifle innovation, or protect consumers from monopolies? For now, Roomba fans might see their favorite bots shift under new ownership, but the legacy of practical, everyday robots endures.

In related news, Rodney Brooks, iRobot's former CTO and a robotics legend, slammed the hype around humanoid robots in a New York Times interview. He predicts the current frenzy—fueled by figures like Elon Musk—will fizzle without real-world breakthroughs. Brooks, who co-founded iRobot after leading MIT's AI lab, knows the pitfalls: "A lot of money will disappear," he warned, urging focus on reliable, task-specific machines over sci-fi dreams.