The cleaning robots have joined forces! No, I don’t mean the robots connected to each other in the way that the individual parts of Voltron did in order to form a larger, more powerful, form. I am referring to a press release from iRobot Corp. that states that the company has acquired Evolution Robotics, Inc. for $74 million. Together, the two companies can make the floors and carpets of the world a little bit cleaner.
You might be aware that iRobot is the maker of the Roomba, (and the Scooba, the Looj, and the Verro). I had a Roomba once, that was given to my husband and I from his sister. The round, red, disc-like robot tried its hardest to keep up with the birdseed shells that our cockatiels threw out of their cage.
Unfortunately, the configuration of furniture in the room prevented the Roomba from doing much more than traveling in a small circle. It did a nice job of confusing our cockatiels, who seemed to be trying to figure out if it was some sort of flat, non-barking, dog. It did manage to keep the small space it could get to relatively clean.
Evolution Robotics makes an automatic floor cleaner called Mint. It is square shaped and comes in two colors: white and black. The Roomba is good at sweeping, and the Scooba is good at mopping. The Mint can do both at the same time, if you attach a Swiffer cloth to the little robot. It will be interesting to see what these two companies can come up with when they start working together. Personally, I’d like to see a little robot that can clean your bathtub for you.
Image: empty-new-room by BigStock