iRobot's new Roomba patent could clean those hard to reach areas, get stuck there

When most kids our age were cutting class to play Mike Tyson's Punch Out, the latch key kids over at Robot Stock News were taking apart their step father's vacuum. And as we grew up, all the while developing relationships with cellphone tipsters and eventually becoming successful tech bloggers in our own right, the Robot Stock News kids were also able to take their obsessive geek tendencies and make a name for themselves -- combing the interwebs, paying off high priced vacuum ninjas, and scouring the US Patent database for any and all news featuring many of our country's leading autonomous vacuum cleaners. They must have been really stoked to stumble upon a patent filed in November 2008, entitled "Compact Autonomous Coverage Robot." As far as we can tell, this document (filed by iRobot) details a Roomba with a squared off front, designed to hit those hard to reach corners that the traditional circular device cannot. This design change, while it seems minor, actually lends a level of complexity to the device: a square robot requires more complex programming, lest it get stuck in a niche that its round faced predecessor could never reach in the first place. Of course, there's no telling when (or if) this one will see the light of day, but you'll know as soon as we do. Promise.

[Via Robot Stock News]

[duke @ May 26th 2009 6:15PM]

Oh ok that's fantastic!

[RiddleMeThis @ May 26th 2009 6:18PM]

does it do windows? lol

[Templarian @ May 26th 2009 6:24PM]

Yes, and can also take out eyes if it accidentally detects glasses.

[kirk @ May 26th 2009 6:20PM]

Until they release a Roomba that can suck up damp dog urine, I remain unimpressed.

[Templarian @ May 26th 2009 6:26PM]

Imagine if battle bots started each competition killing one of these. It would be pretty awesome opener.

[RiddleMeThis @ May 26th 2009 6:28PM]

I'd hate to be pigpen if I were around one of these things

[bdav @ May 26th 2009 7:50PM]

My round roomba is sitting in the corner hissing angrily about the possibility of being superseded :(

[Canis_Minor @ May 27th 2009 3:11AM]

My Roomba 560 is the only device worse than the Storm that I have owned. It worked moderately well for ten months. By moderately well, I mean it cleaned a room. It could never do the room-to-room thing using lighthouses very well, and it rarely returned to it's dock on it's own.

Then, the right wheel stopped working. Not stuck, just not working. After 2h and 3 calls to Roomba customer service, I finally managed to get them to agree that yes, 10 months is less than 12 months, and therefore it still is in warranty, and the replacement part should be free.

6 weeks later, and the new wheel hadn't yet arrived. After another hour with customer service, I get told, "oh we forgot to send it out". When the wheel finally arrived, installed it, and Roomba was happy again.

Then, at 14 months, Roomba starts going in circles a couple of times, then stalls. This time, customer service tells me to "just buy a new one". Yea, right. Goodbye iRobot!

[Fembot @ May 27th 2009 5:24PM]

Canis_Minor,

I'm the forum mod for iRobot and I'd like to help you to resolve this issue. If you would visit our website and send an email ATTN: Emily, I will personally address your Roomba's situation and help to set things right if at all possible.

The link is here: http://homesupport.irobot.com/cgi-bin/irobot_homesupport.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?

Fembot