IRobot - SlashGear

‘iRobot’ Stories

iRobot Warrior robot can lift 150 pounds, uses an Xbox controller

Mark Raby, Feb 8th 2012 Discuss [0]

This guy eats Roombas for breakfast. It's called the Warrior, it weighs 450 pounds, and it can carry stuff, destroy stuff, or do stuff (like opening a door). Although you won't find this bad boy at Sears anytime soon, it is created by the same company everyone knows and loves for the Roomba and Scooba floor-cleaning robots. But iRobot's reach has long extended beyond the domesticated fare. This latest creation is the newest in its history of offering military-grade robotics. Read The Full Story

iRobot Seaglider unmanned robot gets updated

Shane McGlaun, Sep 21st 2011 Discuss [0]

Anytime I hear the iRobot name I always think about the line of robot vacuum cleaners for the home. iRobot makes a lot more than just vacuum cleaners though. The company has announced that it has updated its Seaglider unmanned underwater vehicle. The photo here of the Seaglider is the previous version; images of the new updated robot are not available at the time of writing. The new robot has a payload capability that is doubled compared to the previous generation. Read The Full Story

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SlashGear Science Week In Review – April 23rd, 2011

Samia Perkins, Apr 23rd 2011 Discuss [0]

This week in Science, a hybrid car that was green before green was cool, the possible future of solar energy, a couple of interesting concrete concepts, and a whole lot of medical innovations. Oh, and robots. One that takes a licking and keeps on ticking, and others that can go where no man wants to go.

Earth day was this week, so we have featured some green concepts and innovations. We always like seeing more efficient ways of doing things, and a road that powers its own lighting and traffic systems is a great example of that. But first, the world’s first hybrid car.

Read The Full Story

iRobot Packbots Enter Fukushima Reactor

Kevin Fubar, Apr 18th 2011 Discuss [0]

Sunday, iRobot packbots entered the Fukushima Daiichi reactor building 3 to explore parts of the plant that have been closed to people since the facility was evacuated. Japanese nuclear workers were entering some locations in the plant just after the disaster, but now they've mostly pulled back to safe locations. The shorter term radiation doses were relatively safe, but at sustained elevated levels the threat of damage grows. The repair efforts continue with support from a number of robotic helpers. Read The Full Story

iRobot 110 is a remote controlled spy robot

Shane McGlaun, Apr 7th 2011 Discuss [0]

Combine a robot with a spy camera and I am interested. This is exactly what iRobot has done with its cool new iRobot 110 bot. This thing is no kid's toy, it is designed for military and police use as a bot that is easy to transport and can be used to get valuable intel on a location without putting someone in danger. Read The Full Story

Build Your Own Telepresence Robot For $500

Rue Liu, Feb 14th 2011 Discuss [0]

Remember that Vgo telepresence robot for the kid that couldn't go to school? The one that cost the school $6000 plus $1200 a year service contract? Well, a hacker by the name Johnny Chung Lee has come up with a way to create his own telepresence robot that's a whole lot more affordable. His hack robot is made from relatively cheap components including a netbook and an iRobot, each costing $250, plus an acrylic stand. Watch the video after the cut for full directions on making your own. Read The Full Story

iRobot unveils new compact floor washing robot and more

Shane McGlaun, Jan 3rd 2011 Discuss [4]

I have a lot of tile floors in my house and kids with lots of friends that traipse through all the time. That means keeping the floors clean is nearly impossible and I loathe any sort of cleaning that doesn't involve a car. Robots are really cool and if you combine a robot with cleaning my floors I am interested for sure. iRobot has a new addition to its home robot line for cleaning that claims to be the world's most compact floor washing robot. Read The Full Story

iRobot delivers 3,000th PackBot tactical mobile robot

Shane McGlaun, Feb 17th 2010 Discuss [0]

Most of us who are familiar with the iRobot name probably know the company for its line of robotic vacuum cleaners. The little vacuum cleaners are pretty cool and not too long ago some people grafted a robot arm on to one of the iRobot devices to allow it to pick things up from the floor. iRobot also makes several other robots that are aimed at more serious uses for the military and law enforcement. Read The Full Story

Robotic arm for iRobot Create is cool

Shane McGlaun, Jan 28th 2010 Discuss [0]

Geeks and robots go together like peanut butter and jelly and anytime we see some cool DIY robotics, you know we have to point it out. The basis for this robotic project is the iRobot Create and the people behind the project have created a robotic arm that can pick stuff up from the floor and hand it to people without them having to bend down. Read The Full Story

Readybot domestic robot prototype video: now with Roomba garage

Chris Davies, Jun 24th 2008 Discuss [0]

The "Readybot Challenge" team have released footage of their domestic robot, intended to demonstrate the feasibility of a home-help robot capable of performing up to 80-percent of routine chores. This current Readybot prototype - which resembles a dishwasher with a bin-lid dome and outstretched "hug me!" arms - can tidy up mess left on the floor, empty trash and, thanks to a flip-down garage at the back, release a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. Check out the video of Readybot in action, after the cut! Read The Full Story

iRobot Create is ideal DIY robotics platform

Chris Davies, Jan 8th 2007 Discuss [0]

iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaner has long been a popular platform for home robotics tinkerers to start modding from, being a stable puck-like base and having an array of sensors already in place. Well, iRobot have obviously decided that if you can't beat them, join them (or at least facilitate them a little better), hence the Create. With the boring vacuum removed and a selection of I/O ports in place, it becomes a great starting point for DIY projects. Obviously completely devoid of any laurels altogether, Tom over at Botmag has already got his hands on the Create and has knocked up a few entertaining prototypes that range from the school science lab (a robot arm) to the obscure (some sort of robotic hamster?!) It's an entertaining enough review simply for the photos, but if you're in any way tech-minded then I imagine you're already drooling a little at the possibilities iRobot have opened up. Read The Full Story

Sentinel Robots Unveiled

Rue Liu, Nov 1st 2006 Discuss [0]

iRobot Corp. just released today the first public photo of their latest project, code named Sentinel. The project is developing an arsenal of semi-autonomous robots that can be simultaneously controlled via one touch-screen computer. The robots can be programmed to reach certain coordinates and be able to navigate itself pass obstacles along the way without intervention of the operator. Funded by the U.S. Army’s Small Business Innovation and Research program, the Sentinel robots are anticipated to help perform dangerous missions in times of war, such as conducting surveillance and mapping of hostile environments. iRobot announces “Sentinel” robot army project [Via: Engadget]