More Home Robots from iRobot

Possibly figuring that the house is clean enough, iRobot has unveiled two new home robots that aren't robotic vacuum cleaners -- a gutter cleaning robot and, what seems to me, a mobile webcam robot.

The Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot is designed to simplify gutter cleaning. The Looj cleans an entire stretch of gutter from one location, reducing the number of times a ladder must be repositioned and climbed during gutter cleaning. The 2.25-inch high Looj drives under gutter straps propelled by a three-stage auger that dislodges and sweeps out dirt, leaves and other debris that can cause water damage, overspills, and ice dams.

On the other hand, the ConnectR Virtual Visiting Robot links to a home wireless network and provides VOIP-quality video and two-way audio communications with a remote person. The ConnectR has a top-mounted, full tilt-and-zoom video camera, speaker, microphone, and headlight to let users see, hear, and interact with people in the home as if there in person. It looks to be simple to operate via included ConnectR software, enabling remote users to "call" and drive the ConnectR around the home using a computer keyboard, mouse, or joystick. And like other iRobot home robots, the ConnectR has a charging base located in the home. When the ConnectR's battery runs low, the unit automatically returns to the home base to charge.

Posted by John Dorsey at 04:25 PM  Permalink