iRobot To Unveil World's Smallest Floor Cleaning Robot

iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT) is set to unveil its newest and the world's smallest floor cleaning robot - iRobot Scooba 230 - making one of people’s least favorite household chores, cleaning the bathroom, a whole lot easier. Just press the Clean button and the robot does the dirty work.

The provider of robotic technology-based services said the Scooba 230 uses iAdapt dirt-centric technology that ensures thorough coverage, including tight hard-to-reach spaces around the toilet and under cabinets.

The responsive cleaning technology, a system of software and sensors , monitors the environment 64 times per second, using dozens of behaviors to ensure the entire floor is thoroughly cleaned.

At 3.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches in diameter, Scooba 230's three-stage cleaning system washes, scrubs and squeegees floors, neutralizing up to 97 percent of common household bacteria, the company said. The robot uses a squeegee and a vacuum to pick up virtually all the water on the floor, so your floor dries fast.

Scooba 230 holds enough cleaning solution to scrub up to 150 square feet of linoleum, tile or sealed hardwood floors in a single cleaning session. It
uses a series of lights and chimes to communicate, letting you know when it has successfully finished cleaning or needs your attention for something, such as cleaning the brushes.

The Bedford, Mass.-based company also said it plans to unveil the sixth-generation iRobot Roomba 700 Series, the smartest and most effective Roomba vacuum cleaning robots to date. The newest Roomba robots include an updated and improved three-part cleaning system along with several new features, including new power management software results in 50 percent longer battery life than previous Roomba generations.

While Roomba is already the world’s best-selling vacuum cleaning robot, we continue to make improvements to ensure it is the best on the market and stays at the head of the pack. With the compact Scooba 230, we focused on reducing size without compromising effectiveness and navigability, said Jeff Beck, president of iRobot’s Home Robots division.

Both the robots will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 6.