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ROOMBA ROBOT REPLACES TRADITIONAL VACUUMING
By Christina Guzzo
Our homes are being invaded by robots.
However, in the case of Roomba, this may not be such a bad situation.
Introduced to the public in the fall of 2002, iRobot Corp.’s Roomba is a disk-shaped robot designed to vacuum floors and carpets independently. The owner must simply turn it on, select the room size, and Roomba is on its way, traveling under furniture and avoiding obstacles.
It is obvious that the makers of Roomba have caught the attention of America’s laziest; for retailers across the country have found it hard to keep this new gadget in stock.
Media Spokesperson for The Sharper Image, Louis Soucie, said that Roomba is “a very good seller, and remains in the top 5 of our best selling products at the Sharper Image.”
Not only is Roomba a device that would eliminate the chore of vacuuming, it’s also reasonably priced. This six-pound maid costs $199, which is about the same as most moderately priced upright vacuums, and its makers are very optimistic about its future.
Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot, said, "Now robots can be viewed as appliances. In Roomba, we have a robot that costs about the same as a conventional vacuum cleaner but does the job by itself, and actually works."
Since the fall, consumers have quickly welcomed this friendly, timesaving robot into their homes. Its convenience, compactness, (it measures 13.5 inches in diameter) and affordable price tag have made Roomba very appealing to consumers. Stores like Brookstone and The Sharper Image have been having much luck with the sales of Roomba, and anticipate it being a top seller in the future.
Bob Marasco, manager of the Brookstone store in Poughkeepsie, NY said, sales were successful from the beginning.
“ Sales for the Roomba were really good right out of the gate. It was hard to keep them in stock, especially around the Christmas season.”
Manager of The Shaper Image store Short Hills, NJ, Greg Maglione, said the introduction of an automatic vacuum does not mean the end for traditional manual vacuums.
“It might take many years to see whether or not people adopt this technology and get rid of their regular vacuums. For instance, two years ago we introduced an automatic lawn mower, and that really did not catch on too well,” said Maglione.
Marasco said that improvements might have to be made to improve its future success.
“Since this is the first attempt at the automatic vacuum, it might take a while to work out the problems before it really catches on in the future,” said Marasco.
For only $199, people can have clean carpets and more free time, with thanks to technology’s newest timesaver.