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iRobot trots out Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot, three entry-level Roombas (video)
With Roomba being the household name that it is, it can be easy to forget that iRobot also makes robots of the outdoor persuasion. In fact, though, the company's been selling its Looj gutter-cleaning bots for five years now, occasionally treating us to demos involving leaves, dirt and fake roofs. Today the company announced the third-generation model, the Looj 330, which has been completely re-tooled to add a four-stage auger, multiple speed settings, an automated "Clean" mode and a lithium-ion battery. It's also a bit more compact this time around, increasing the likelihood it'll fit your gutter. Meanwhile, for those of you who can't bring yourselves to spend $700 on a robotic vacuum cleaner, iRobot is adding some entry-level models to its Roomba lineup: the 620, 630 and 650. Though these cost about half the price of the flagship offerings, they actually feature many of the same technologies, including iAdapt, the sensor arrangement that allows Roomba to crisscross the floor like it does. Here, though, the cosmetic design is different, and you also won't find bells and whistles like capacitive touchscreens or fine Hepa filters. What's more, these guys only use acoustic sensors to detect debris, whereas the pricier models add optical sensors to pick up on lighter particles, like fuzz. All of these products are available now, with the Looj 330 going for $299 and the Roomba 600 series starting at $330. Not in the market for a cleaning bot? You can at least get a vicarious thrill out of our Luge hands-on video, embedded after the break for your viewing pleasure. And yes, those are Goldfish and m&m's flying out of that gutter. It rains snack food here in New York City.%Gallery-162090%%Gallery-162091%%Gallery-162088%
Video: iRobot Looj hands on shows improved leaf carnage
It was at last year's CES that we first got our hands on iRobot's Looj, and while easy gutter cleaning is something most homeowners can appreciate, the thing did have some issues that left many users tossing the things out with the decomposing crud it was supposed to fling. Enter the Looj second generation, which includes a flexible auger that should keep the thing from flipping itself over, a tool-free battery door, and a faster reverse speed to get the thing back to your ladder in half the time. Nothing revolutionary, but some much-needed updates that will be available this spring for $129, and we were impressed with the sheer spite the thing displayed against a mock gutter full of faux leaves. Video below -- user discretion advised. %Gallery-41255%
Video: iRobot Looj treats gutters like an olympic event
Here you have it. iRobot's latest domestic robot, the Looj. Turn him loose in your gutters and you can remote control the little green varmint until the floods return. Click through for the video to learn all about it. You'll be happy you did.
Hands-on with iRobot's new ConnectR and Looj bots
There's not much to see and feel with these two -- iRobots are all about the action -- but we got a quick look at the new ConnectR and Looj today. The Looj seems well enough suited to its purpose, with solid construction and a powerful thwap. We saw it running through a gutter earlier, and it certainly seems like it can clean as advertised. The ConnectR seems less well polished, but that's to be expected, since iRobot seems to be pretty flexible on what the finished product will be like when it ships in 2008, with changes based on customer feedback from trial sales. One feature in the works is an IR emitter, for controlling home automation and AV products, and hopefully iRobot can clean this one up and add another "killer" feature or two before unleashing it on the public.%Gallery-7873%
iRobot debuts ConnectR and Looj home bots
iRobot's mission to create the "robot home" got a whole lot more fleshed out this afternoon at the company's DigitalLife keynote. The general idea is to get usable tech into any and every home -- not just for the nerds, not like the Jetsons. "A little boring, but fantastically useful robots." Obviously iRobot has been attempting this a while with its Roomba and related lines, but the new ConnectR and Looj bots really flesh out that vision. On the boring end of things, the Looj is a remote-controlled bot that can clean up to 60 feet of gutter in 10 minutes. It rolls through your gutter tank-style and spits out the debris, and then rolls back to you. It's waterproof for easy cleaning, and is available today for $99. The ConnectR takes a whole new angle for iRobot, offering telepresence instead of the usual drudgery removal. You can "virtually visit" friends and family by controlling the WiFi-connected bot remotely, with live video, audio, controls and sensor data. The camera tilts and zooms, and has a zoom mode high resolution enough for reading text. You can transmit your voice through the bot, and control an LED light to convey mood. ConnectR launches next year for $499, and will be available in a pilot program for $199 to select beta-testing users.%Gallery-7865%
iRobot leaks Looj and ConnectR information
Looks like iRobot's site admin did a bit of premature site updating, with details on the Looj gutter cleaning robot, and the still mysterious ConnectR appearing temporarily on the official site. All the new info about the ConnectR amounts to a different description of the robot -- apparently it's a "virtual visiting robot" -- and the knowledge that the "R" is capitalized. For the Looj, now we know at least one of the robot's capabilities -- it can clean 80 feet of gutter in 10 minutes -- and that it requires human supervision to operate. That's right, the gutter cleaning robot requires your attention. [Thanks, John]
iRobot Connectr can't be half as lame as Looj
We really did our best to hold back our disappointment at the Looj. Sure, there must be people out there with gutters full of leaves and plastic parachute men, and we want to be respectful of that, but we can't say it really stoked our gadget lust. Luckily for us, iRobot seems to have another bot in the works dubbed "Connectr" -- at least if a recent trademark filing for "robots for video and audio monitoring, surveillance, and communication" is anything to go on. This one might be just for iRobot's military and public service customers, but we'll hope for a consumer-friendly score here to rival other web-friendly video bots out there. iRobot has promised to announce two new bots at Digital Life in NY later this month, so let's hope this is one of them.[Thanks, Daanish]
iRobot's Looj wants to clean yer damn gutters
Ok, we're going to do our best to get through this post without making any references to hocking a Looj -- ready? So, guess what turned up in the FCC today? Dad's going to be thrilled. An iRobot robot that revealed the latest place around your home they want to clean: the gutter. And we totally get it -- who likes to clean the freaking gutter, you know? Anywho, the new robot, called, ahem, Looj, has two treads, a remote control, and a strange looking "distruptor / ejector / sweeper" auger assembly for clearing out the drains. Let's cut to the chase though, iRobot, only one question remains: we're all waiting for the robotic colonic, when's the release on that?
