Amazon buys iRobot

[Teken]

Another successful technology company swallowed by the wail:

Amazon to acquire Roomba robot vacuum maker iRobot for $1.7 billion Amazon acquires Roomba robot vacuum makers iRobot for $1.7 billion

 

[Gargoile]

Great now Amazon will know the physical layout of my home along with Alexa hearing everything that goes on in the home and Ring seeing what's in my home..

 

[sebastiantombs]

They won't if you shut down Alexa and ditch the iRobot. Simple solution.

 

[David L]

Wait for it...they will have cameras installed for more spying on us...

These robot vacuums have built-in cameras. Here’s what they can do

One of the biggest innovations in robot vacuums recently is built-in cameras. These cameras can be used to make cleaning more efficient, or as security cameras.

www.digitaltrends.com

When I was looking at these lazy people vacuums, as I call them, the ones that had cameras were rated the best.

 

[rolibr24]

What for it...they will have cameras installed for more spying on us...

These robot vacuums have built-in cameras. Here’s what they can do

One of the biggest innovations in robot vacuums recently is built-in cameras. These cameras can be used to make cleaning more efficient, or as security cameras.

www.digitaltrends.com

When I was looking at these lazy people vacuums, as I call them, the ones that had cameras were rated the best.

We have a old one. We don’t use it because of laziness, we use it for entertainment watching the cat and dog terrorize it.

 

[David L]

We have a old one. We don’t use it because of laziness, we use it for entertainment watching the cat and dog terrorize it.

When our daughter got one we ribbed her about being lazy , more of a joke. She is caught up with her career as most people are now a days. We looked into getting one ourselves, but we too have dogs but what really stopped me from getting it was my brother stated he has to dig his out from under their bed all the time cause it gets stuck. Sounds easier for me to just vacuum once a week, only a 30 minute job...The Mop Vacuum also caught our eye, but one thing I know, neither of them will do the type of job my wife expects even when I vacuum too. LOL

 

[mat200]

I don't know .. I have been told pets and robo-vacuums do not mix well ...

 

[Gargoile]

What for it...they will have cameras installed for more spying on us...

They already do. They use the cams for points of light ( lamps, windows, etc) as part of their AI maneuverability to track in the house. That is why they do not work well cleaning your house in the middle of the night with no lights for a point of refference.

 

[Teken]

Regardless of how I feel about Amazon buying up Roomba / iRobot. If all things were equal and framed in a positive way. I would think & hope given the massive resources from Amazon.

This will help the iRobot company to release even more hardware that the general public can enjoy.

As of this writing I don't recall Amazon simply buying up a company only to turn around and shit / kill it. Unlike lots of other companies around the world have done in the past! It's that competition that forces others to do better, think harder, consider new possibilities of solving a problem.

When you simply gobble up a company for the express purpose to stop innovation / competition. All you've done is helped protect yourself (read profits) while killing off innovation for the masses.

I don't personally have one of these devices but know a few that do. If people see value in them Rock On and enjoy the benefits they bring in your home.

 

[tng5737]

FYI - Helen Greiner, co-inventor of the Roomba also invented a similar device for outside called Tertill which is supposed to 'weed' your garden

 

[Smilingreen]

We dont have a roomba, but have one of the other knock offs that has no intelligence and is not connected to wifi. The only intelligence it think is has is for wires and cords. Damn thing seems to zoom in on them, run over them and then wind itself in circles with the cord until it cant move. Then it cries for momma to go help it. Sometimes i wish it actually see where it is going.

 

[Teken]

We dont have a roomba, but have one of the other knock offs that has no intelligence and is not connected to wifi. The only intelligence it think is has is for wires and cords. Damn thing seems to zoom in on them, run over them and then wind itself in circles with the cord until it cant move. Then it cries for momma to go help it. Sometimes i wish it actually see where it is going.

So do you just set up the guide wire and let him run around? If you have to go to another room the wires have to be moved again? Or do they offer you enough guide wires to cover a decent amount of area coverage?

 

[looney2ns]

We "had" a Roomba, gift from our daughter, what a royal pain in the ass.
Unless you perfectly make your house a "roomba safe zone" then you will spend more time getting it un-stuck and un-tangled than just doing it your self. You still have to dump the thing on a very regular basis.
Roomba did what most tech companies strive for, get it up and going, then sell it for insane money.

 

[Smilingreen]

So do you just set up the guide wire and let him run around? If you have to go to another room the wires have to be moved again? Or do they offer you enough guide wires to cover a decent amount of area coverage?

It has a portable "invisible wire" that is supposed to shoot across a doorway to keep it from going into another room, but it doesn't seem to work very well. Half the time, it just blows right through it. So, we put bar stools and other thing in its way and it just runs into them, turns around, goes 5 feet, then turns around and tries it again. It pretty much just randomly runs into things in the room, and then makes about 20 degree movements clockwise, goes forward, runs into something again, turns 20 degrees, goes forward, hit something again....repeats until it can drive straight through and then zoom across the room to hit something on the other side of the room. Best analogy I can come up with is it is like having a blind baby, stick him in a wheeled walker and letting him rip......

 

[Teken]

It has a portable "invisible wire" that is supposed to shoot across a doorway to keep it from going into another room, but it doesn't seem to work very well. Half the time, it just blows right through it. So, we put bar stools and other thing in its way and it just runs into them, turns around, goes 5 feet, then turns around and tries it again. It pretty much just randomly runs into things in the room, and then makes about 20 degree movements clockwise, goes forward, runs into something again, turns 20 degrees, goes forward, hit something again....repeats until it can drive straight through and then zoom across the room to hit something on the other side of the room. Best analogy I can come up with is it is like having a blind baby, stick him in a wheeled walker and letting him rip......

 

[looney2ns]

It has a portable "invisible wire" that is supposed to shoot across a doorway to keep it from going into another room, but it doesn't seem to work very well. Half the time, it just blows right through it. So, we put bar stools and other thing in its way and it just runs into them, turns around, goes 5 feet, then turns around and tries it again. It pretty much just randomly runs into things in the room, and then makes about 20 degree movements clockwise, goes forward, runs into something again, turns 20 degrees, goes forward, hit something again....repeats until it can drive straight through and then zoom across the room to hit something on the other side of the room. Best analogy I can come up with is it is like having a blind baby, stick him in a wheeled walker and letting him rip......

Yep, exactly.

 

[Smilingreen]

After it does that for about 1.5 hours, it more or less has covered the room. The vac & beater bar portion works good. It is amazing to see how much dirt it does get. Then you look in the corners or areas that it couldn't ram into and realize your room is only half clean.....

 

[Teken]

After it does that for about 1.5 hours, it more or less has covered the room. The vac & beater bar portion works good. It is amazing to see how much dirt it does get. Then you look in the corners or areas that it couldn't ram into and realize your room is only half clean.....

Pretty much as to why I never considered one of these super expensive toys. As odd as it may sound I find vacuuming really helps me relax and calms my OCD. That's probably why I also break out the Shop-Vac to do all of the (deep inside) of the baseboards and the ceiling vent / returns.

 

[SJGUSMC21]

So I have 4 roomba's. A 981 (Eve), a i7 (Bishop), a 680 (Blossom-14 years or so old) and a Braava Jet M6 (Wall-E). They all work wonderfully. This started out as a hobby...buying them on fleabay, repairing them and selling them. Keeping a few. Now, however, with my Wife's OCD about the floors and our dog, my little Fire Team gets deployed daily on search and destroy missions, and they always meet the challenge on a daily basis...and my floors are dirt/dog hair/human hair free. They are very smart, and sometimes I am just in awe at how well my i7 navigates around the house...just blows me away. Wall-E, well, he belongs on the short bus. But he does what I ask of him. IMO-DON'T buy them new. You can get them second hand (like on Mercari) for HALF of more less then what you would pay for a new one....with many times less then a few hours on them. I have never purchased one new....why would I?

As for spying on me I have nothing hide. It is worth it to me to keep the peace in the family, keep my wife's OCD down, and to keep the house clean. I'm good with it.

My hope, is that Amazon doesn't WHORE THEM OUT. They are FAR MORE RELIABLE AND DURABLE then the Chinese ones. Far more. Easier to work on, easier and less expensive to find and buy parts for as well. A HUGE PLUS.

 

[mat200]

So I have 4 roomba's. A 981 (Eve), a i7 (Bishop), a 680 (Blossom-14 years or so old) and a Braava Jet M6 (Wall-E). They all work wonderfully. This started out as a hobby...buying them on fleabay, repairing them and selling them. Keeping a few. Now, however, with my Wife's OCD about the floors and our dog, my little Fire Team gets deployed daily on search and destroy missions, and they always meet the challenge on a daily basis...and my floors are dirt/dog hair/human hair free. They are very smart, and sometimes I am just in awe at how well my i7 navigates around the house...just blows me away. Wall-E, well, he belongs on the short bus. But he does what I ask of him. IMO-DON'T buy them new. You can get them second hand (like on Mercari) for HALF of more less then what you would pay for a new one....with many times less then a few hours on them. I have never purchased one new....why would I?

As for spying on me I have nothing hide. It is worth it to me to keep the peace in the family, keep my wife's OCD down, and to keep the house clean. I'm good with it.

My hope, is that Amazon doesn't WHORE THEM OUT. They are FAR MORE RELIABLE AND DURABLE then the Chinese ones. Far more. Easier to work on, easier and less expensive to find and buy parts for as well. A HUGE PLUS.

No worries .. Amazon will setup a firmware update for your iBRobots to pick up your prime packages from the Auto-bot delivery van when it passes your neighborhood ...