Hate cleaning? Well, iRobot is looking to take cleaning off your to-do list with two new robots that can work together to get the job done. It’s like your own person fleet of cleaning robots.
iRobot’s new Roomba s9+ robot vacuum and Braava jet M6 robot mop have Imprint Link Technology that allows the robots to communicate with each other. Both robots also feature the company’s mapping technology.
Here’s how Imprint Link works. Using iRobot’s HOME App, you can schedule the Roomba s9+ to clean the kitchen, for example. Once the Roomba docks, the Braava jet m6 will automatically leave its dock and start mopping the kitchen. With the cloud and Imprint Link, the robots can now share maps of the environment.
OK, so the robots aren’t really cleaning at the same time – yet. But you can imagine where iRobot will take this technology. The idea here is to have cleaning blend into the background and go unnoticed in the “smart home.” And don’t forget about iRobot’s Terra robot lawn mower, which was announced earlier in 2019. Like the Roomba s9+ and Braava jet m6, Terra features iRobot’s Imprint Smart Mapping. So expect Terra to also use Imprint Link Technology so a fleet of Terra’s could work together. iRobot says Imprint Link will also work with the Roomba i7+ robot vacuum.
The Roomba s9+ uses iRobot’s iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with vSLAM to navigate a home and keep track of where it has and hasn’t been. But perhaps the first thing about the s9+ is the square front. This is a totally new design for Roomba, of course, as all previous generations featured a circular shape.
iRobot senior product manager Brent Hild told The Robot Report a lot of time…