iRobot used the IFA tech show in Berlin to unveil a concept robot called the Roomba Duo, a two-part floor cleaning system aimed at US consumers who want an all-in-one home cleaning device. The original robot vacuum company’s concept combines a large, heavy-duty floor washing and vacuuming unit with a smaller, slimmer Roomba robot that rides on top. The two machines work together to clean a home, with the main unit handling open floor areas while the smaller one is mechanically lowered to reach tight spots like under tables or into corners.
The primary unit is the most powerful vacuum iRobot has ever made, according to company representative Adam Pope, and it is more comparable in capability to an upright vacuum than to a typical robot model. It includes a large roller mop capable of steam cleaning with 46 newtons of downward pressure, and it can also handle solid messes, as demonstrated when it sucked up pasta from a carpet and then washed the area. The device carries clean and dirty water tanks plus a dust bag on board, and it navigates using lidar and camera-based systems to map rooms, find dirt, and avoid obstacles.
The smaller robot, called the Roomba Plus 757, sits on top of the main unit and is deployed by a mechanical arm when the larger machine cannot reach a space. iRobot’s new CEO, Hao Li, presented the Duo and said the innovation proved that the future of floor care has a familiar name. Li comes from Picea, the parent company that bought iRobot out of bankruptcy earlier this year.
The Duo marks a new direction for a consumer home robot, but it resembles the commercial cleaning bots used in hotels or malls, just with an extra robot on top. It may not feel like a natural fit for a typical American home, though it could replace a separate robot vacuum, stick vac, carpet cleaner, and floor washing device by combining all those functions into one system. The mechanical raising and lowering mechanism worked smoothly and quickly in demos, and it drew comparison to the mechanism on iRobot’s earlier J7 Combo robot mop, but on a much larger scale.
As a concept device, the Roomba Duo has no price or release date, and iRobot would not allow a hands-on inspection or a full specification rundown. Engineers from Picea guarded the unit at the show, and it took two people to carry it between demo areas. Pope said the company plans to incorporate feedback as it continues developing the product, with exact operational details still being worked out.
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