iRobot Cofounder Helen Greiner Interviewed

ptorrone writes "Engadget has interviewed Helen Greiner, Chairman and CoFounder of iRobot. She talks about the future of home robotics, the new self-docking Roomba Robot Vacuum as well as their other line of robots, the PackBots. iRobot's PackBot unmanned reconnaissance and bomb disposal units (the interview includes a photo of a blown-up PackBot from Iraq). Plus, for the curious, the Packbot is running a Linux OS with iRobot's Aware robot control software."

Comments

What about killbots?

[October_30th]

the Packbot is running a Linux OS with iRobot's Aware robot control software

I'm still waiting for a Killbot running a Linux OS.

Rogue robot hacks slashdot!

[Eric(b0mb)Dennis]

A rogue AI infected the popular Slashdot news outlet this morning. The infection led to major downtime and a pretty buggy restart.

Probably gonna be redundant...but...

[CdBee]

Did anyone else think this was about the Will Smith movie? (I, Robot)

Re:Probably gonna be redundant...but...

[MisanthropicProgram]

I thought of Asimov first. With all the publicity of copyright and patent infringement here on /. and other places, I was thinking that "iRobot" will be sued because their Trademark, Copyright, or whatever infringes on the estate of Asimov. And if Asimov's estate is anything like Margret Mitchel's estate (see what happened with "Wind Done Gone"), we're gonna see a BIG fight!

Robots

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think robots will catch on. A lot of home procedures could be automated by specialized applications, but a central robot I think is a failing idea.

It follows the old concept of do one thing but do it well. Dishwashers are a good example of this, verses a robot to wash dishes and sweep, etc.

The converse argument, posed here, falls apart in the final statement -- the conclusion. In the example cited, you have to realize the brother has a mental handicap.

Poor Little Thing

[grunt107]

The iHorror!!!

It needs a posthumous purple-hued titanium heart.

Vacuum for nerds with clear floors?

[HDlife]

I have a Roomba and it is great...but I have to pick up the floor before I use it. It does not like my miles of network, phone, and A/V cables strewn about.

Now if iRobot came out with an un-Packbot would open the UPS boxes that stream in containing the latest semi-cool gadgets found on Techbargains, and put them away, that would really be cool!

Even better, it would fill out the rebates and recycle the boxes and packing peanuts!

What you say?

[mikeophile]

She's invented an autonomous robot that sucks on command?

Oh, it's a vacuum cleaner.

Someday, someday...

A grim day for robot-kind

[deathcloset]

ah, but we can always build more packbots.

Hope the Army got the extended warranty

[CarrionBird]

I don't think the store will take that one back.

Imagine

[Anonymous Coward]

... what a beuwolf cluster of the Roombas would be like.

cool new Roomba model

[jeffehobbs]

iRobot is a cool company; if you need replacement parts for your Roomba, the friendly people on the phone are more than happy to mail them out post-haste to you.

So the new Roomba models head back to their base to recharge themselves. That's really cool. But can they be put on a timed or daily schedule? That would address the top two questions I got asked about my first-gen Roomba.

~jeff

Re:Soldier

[jekewa]

Uncle Sam takes the lives of people very seriously. While they are rightly upset when you foolishly endanger expensive equipment (eg, the "discussion" about the $80M airplane with Tom Cruise in Top Gun), they really would rather have the pilot than the plane back if they can't have both. And they'd rather have the robot operator instead of the robot. Now, if the robot operator were trying to play chicken against tanks with his robot, yes, there'd be stern words.

Poor little iRobot possibly saved the lives of more than one bomb-squad soldier, or more lives for unlucky troops walking or driving nearby.

If a soldier was to pick up the pieces, it would be either to attempt a repair and reuse (another good reason to use them instead of people), prevent the bad guys from getting our technology, or just to be responsible with debris in a field.

5 years 10% unemployment

[kallistiblue]

I think that robots are going to really make a huge impact in the work force.

• automated check out
• Mop Robots
• Commercial Roomba units
• lawnmower bots

That's going to eliminate a lot of jobs. Granted, their jobs that not many people want, but unemployement will be a HUGE problem.

Robot Dealer