The Rise of Roomba: Sparking a Robot Revolution

If you owned a Roomba, especially during its early days, you likely remember it as a rather basic gadget. It would meander around your home, searching for dirt to collect until its battery ran out or its tiny dustbin filled up. But that didn’t really matter; you probably adored your Roomba and might have even given it a name.

In this episode of Version History, we dive into the journey of the Roomba and how it transformed the perception of vacuum cleaners. Join David Pierce and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy as they chat with Colin Angle, co-founder and former CEO of iRobot, to explore the origins of the robovac revolution, driven by a team of engineers eager to create a business centered around robots—any kind of robots. We discuss the nearly decade-long development of the Roomba, the challenges it faced, and the unexpected factors that contributed to its success. Additionally, we examine the expansive market that emerged around the Roomba and how iRobot struggled to keep pace.

This marks the second episode of the fourth season of Version History. If you missed the season premiere about the Harmony remote, be sure to catch up! Here’s how to access every episode and all our other exciting content as soon as it’s available:
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If you’re curious about the Roomba’s extensive backstory, here are a few links to kickstart your exploration:
* How Roomba invented the home robot — and lost the future
* From New York: Roomba’s Long, Bumpy Path From Prototype to Your Living Room
* From New York: Why the Roomba Company Stopped Making Bots for the Military
* From Tech Republic: Joe Jones: Roomba inventor. Roboticist. Vindicated pioneer.
* From IEEE Spectrum: iRobot Roomba History: How a Focus Group Changed It – IEEE Spectrum