Timeline

In the decades before Roomba, science fiction authors found fascination in robot vacuums cleaners. Perhaps inspired by those stories, many inventors attempted to realize a practical device. Concurrently, other events were taking place the paved the way for Roomba.

1950

There Will Come Soft Rains

Ray Bradbury’s short story There Will Come Soft Rains was one of the earliest to describe robotic floor cleaning. Bradbury imagined a swam of robotic mice that emerge each day to scour the floors. [AI imagined image]

1955

Sonic Broom

In an episode titled Time just a Place, Science Fiction Theater portrayed a small robotic floor cleaner.

1956

The Door into Summer

Robert Heinlein’s novel, The Door into Summer, featured a small floor-cleaning robot that earned its inventor millions.  [AI imagined image]

1957

RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen

The robot vacuum invented by Donald Moore to clean the floor of the RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen was one of the first serious attempts to build a robot floor cleaner. The Miracle Kitchen was featured in a national TV broadcast in early 1957. (US3010129A)

1962

Siemens Robot Vacuum

In 1962 Dr. Fritz Kaiser patented a robot vacuum cleaner for Siemens corporation. The robot escaped collisions with obstacles using electrical switches. It also split the airstream and monitored each half in order to follow the edge between clean and dirty parts of the floor. (DE1239819B)

1978

Bump-and-Go Vacuum

In 1978 independent New York inventor Paul H. Ku patented a robot vacuuming method that used a bump-and-go mechanism to escape from collisions with obstacles. The mechanism is indicated by numbers 16, 17, and 21. (US4173809A)

1981

World Trip

After failing to find his passion in physics, the author departed Boston traveling west. He spent the following year circumnavigating the globe.

1982

MIT AI Lab

Returning to Boston, the author secured a position on the research staff of the MIT AI Lab in November 1982. The Lab was then located at 545 Technology Square Cambridge, MA. (The windows of the Lab were cleaned regularly.)

RB5X

The RB5X was a platform robot built by the RB corporation. In 1982 the company tested an attachment (attached on the left) intended to enable the robot to vacuum the floor.

1984

Handey

With some work beginning around 1984, the Handey robot task planner was developed by the author’s group (led by Prof. Tomás Lozano-Pérez) at the MIT AI Lab. Handey used a PUMA 560 arm to execute its plans. Here the arm is picking up a motor assembly.

1985

Hitachi’s Robby Robot

Hitachi exhibited their version of a robot vacuum in 1985. The machine was fairly large: 31 inches long and 20 inches wide and tall. It had a single sonar range sensor directed by the rotating reflector on top of the robot. (JPS62154008A)

Tomy Dustbot

Just four inches tall, the novelty robot vacuum cleaner called Dustbot was introduced by Tomy in 1985. It actually worked in certain limited domains.

1986

Sanyo Robot Vacuum

Sanyo Corporation also attempted to build a robot vacuum. Details from the patent granted in 1987 show dual the vacuum inlets (1), a bottom view (2), and the path the robot followed (4 and 5). (JPS62170219A)

Behavior-based Programming

In 1986, Prof. Rodney Brooks published a paper describing a new robot control paradigm that would become known as behavior-based programming. The new method later provided the foundation for Roomba and many other robots.

1987

Televac

French inventors Andre and Barnard Jonas patented the unique Televac robotic vacuum cleaner in 1987. The cleaning head, connected to an 18-foot long hose, snaked out from beneath the robot. (US5095577)

Denning Sentry

Denning Mobile Robotics developed an autonomous guard robot. The author worked at Denning during the time Sentry was available.
(US4751658A)

1988

Mobot Group Robots

Prof. Rodney Brooks’ Mobot Group built many robots to test and demonstrate his behavior-based programming paradigm. Robots Tom and Jerry are circled in red.

1989

TRC’s Star Robot Vacuum

Transitions Research Corporation’s Star robot vacuum was developed with funding from Electrolux. It was powered through an electrical cord plugged into an outlet. (JPS62154008A)

The Collection Machine

Built by graduate student Jon Connell at the MIT AI Lab, The Collection Machine gathered empty soda cans from offices. The robot demonstrated the power of the behavior-based programming paradigm and inspired the author’s attempt to build a robot vacuum.

Zoom Broom

Built by students Lukas Ruecker and Tanveer Syeda for the 1989 AI Lab Robot Talent Show, Zoom Broom attempted to clean the floor. The machine was a robotized carpet sweeper.

Rug Warrior (Robot Talent Show)

The author’s Robot Talent Show entry was called Rug Warrior. A shroud (not shown) wrapped around the bristle brush to guide dirt particles into the collection chamber under the robot. Also not shown is the motor that drove the brush via the crown gear to the left of the brush.

1990

Denning RoboScrub

RoboScrub was a robotic autoscrubber built by Denning Mobile Robotics in partnership with Windsor Industries, a maker of commercial cleaning equipment. Beneath the clear hemispherical dome is a scanning laser used for computing the robot’s position.

Panasonic Robot Vacuum

Panasonic devoted 12 years to the development of a robot vacuum cleaner. Numerous engineers were involved and several patents were filed but, like the other attempts, the robot never reached market.

iRobot Founded

Initially called IS Robotics, iRobot was founded in 1990. The R-2 research robot was an early product of the new company.

1991

Trilobite Kickoff

Electrolux began work on their Trilobite robot vacuum in 1991, launch occurred 10 years later. Along the way the robot would change dramatically. (WO1995026512A1)

RoboBroom

During a brief period of employment at Denning Mobile Robotics, the author proposed and then developed a small robot floor cleaning prototype known as RoboBroom. Unfortunately, no photos were ever taken of the machine. The model pictured was recreated from memory.

1993

HomeR Hoover

This 44 pound robot vacuum was built by independent inventor Frank Jenkins. It’s described in a published paper.

Rug Warrior (Mobile Robots Book)

The name “Rug Warrior” was reused for an educational kit designed for the author’s book Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation.

Genghis-II

Genghis-II was another early product of IS Robotics (later iRobot). The robot walked using six legs. Two whiskers in the front detected collisions with obstacles. The array of five white disks are lens for far infrared sensors. These enable Genghis to follow a person.

1997

Cye with Vacuum

Cye was a small orange platform robot with spiky wheels from Probotics, Inc. It included a mounting attachment for a cordless vacuum. In theory this let Cye clean the floor.

1998

CareBot from Gecko Systems

Gecko Systems developed CareBot, imagined as an elder care robot. An optional integrated vacuuming mechanism was available as a premium purchase.

Tamagotchis

Tamagotchis were virtual pets that became a toy sensation. They provided inspiration for iRobot’s later product, My Real Baby.

1999

My Real Baby

iRobot developed My Real Baby in partnership with Hasbro. The doll was the first to use build-in sensors to detect how the child was playing with it, allowing the doll to then respond with appropriate sounds and facial expressions.

Clean Project

In the Clean project iRobot attempted to build a robotic autoscrubber. The robot was never completed but Tennant Corporation’s manual NexGen walk-behind machine picture here used some of the IP from Clean. NexGen is approximately the size the Clean robot would have been.

Roomba Proposal

Initially called DustPuppy, Roobma was proposed to iRobot management by the author and colleague Paul Sandin in 1999. A page from that proposal is shown. Unfortunately, the date recorded by the author refers to the commencement of writing rather than the date in December when the proposal was delivered.

2000

Scamp

Roughly two weeks after the proposal was presented the earliest Roomba prototype, called Scamp was completed.

2001

Electrolux Trilobite

Surprising the Roomba team, Electrolux began sales of their Trilobite robot vacuum in 2001 while Roobma was still in development.

2002

Roomba Launched

Roomba was released to the marketplace in September 2002. The box identifies it as an “Intelligent Floorvac” rather than a robot.

2003

Pepsi Commercial

Roomba sales grew rapidly following a commercial broadcast by Pepsi.

2004

SNL “Woomba” Parody

At the end of 2004 NBC’s Saturday Night Live TV show parodied the current model of Roomba as a feminine hygiene product. This cemented Roomba’s status as a cultural icon.

Roomba Development Gallery

Over a period of three years a dedicated team of seven brought Roomba to life.

Scamp, the first Roomba prototype built at iRobot, included infrared avoidance sensors. The black tape on the robot’s bumper prevented unwanted reflections.

Two second generation prototypes, named Kipper and Tipper were built. The shells were made of cast urethane; the chassis were sheetmetal.

The third iteration of Roomba, known as the T-100 series, was the first prototype built using 3D printing.

This Roomba prototype, printed from brittle SLA material, has been repaired with hot glue.

Approximate arrangement of the Roomba office. The cramped conditions proved useful.

Eliot Mack at work in his corner of the Roomba office.

Chris Casey designing circuits in his cubicle.

The author’s desk in the Roomba office.

Paul Sandin, Steve Hickey, and intern Ben Trueman work on Roomba.

This pen was built with many different types of flooring in order to test Roomba’s mobility. A fold of the infamous “sideways” carpet is to the right and back of the pen

Roomba and “virtual wall” transmitter. The first shots of robots made at the factory used whatever color of plastic was handy. Since the factory usually made toys, bright colors were in abundance.

Used for both meetings and assembly the paper-covered table was at the center of the Roomba office.

Colorful Roobma parts await assembly in the Roomba office.

Underside of Roomba showing key features.

Top view of Roomba with lid removed.

Initially, Roomba’s were delivered with an instructional decal attached to the top.

Original Roomba package

Back of the original Roomba package.

Roomba contributors present on the occasion of the 500,000th Roomba. Left to right: Paul Sandin, Chris Casey, Steve Hickey, Phil Mass, Eliot Mack, Joe Jones, and Jeff Ostaszewski.

Dr. Winston Tao led the team during the development of Roomba.

Sara Farragher was the Roomba team’s admin and Chief Joy Officer.

Roomba signed by core team members.