iRobot launches Roomba j7+, Genius 3.0 platform: It takes a lot of AI to avoid poop
iRobot launched its Roomba j7+ vacuum and third version of its Genius smart home platform and included a Pet Owner Official Promise (POOP) that it can avoid your pet's unfortunate excrement instances.
As previously reported, iRobot CEO Colin Angle has aimed iRobot at data science, AI and building platforms so robots can better collaborate.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, iRobot saw a spike in demand and usage. From there, iRobot set a strategy that extended its base of robotics hardware to integration software. iRobot's Genius 3.0 Home Intelligence platform is now operating across the company's connected robot portfolio.
Rooba j7+ is powered by iRobot Genius 3.0, which includes PrecisionVision Navigation. The feature enables the robot to learn your floors, remember rooms and furniture and can clean when you're away and stop when you return. Perhaps the biggest feature in Genius 3.0 is the ability to avoid solid pet waste.
With the POOP guarantee any Roomba j7+ that doesn't avoid poop will be replaced. The Roomba j7+ robot vacuum with Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal is available at $849 from iRobot with other retailers offering presales Sept. 12 with Sept. 19 availability. The vacuum will be available under the iRobot Select membership program in the fourth quarter.
With iRobot Select, the company is offering a $29 a month subscription that covers the vacuum, maintenance and upgrades.
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With Genius 3.0, iRobot is rolling out the following features:
- Robots will use a phone's location services to trigger cleaning to automatically begin when you leave a boundary and stop when you return.
- Room and smart map coaching and suggestions.
- An ability to suggest cleaning schedules.
- Cleaning time estimates.
- And a quiet drive mode where the robot will shut down vacuuming components when not in its active cleaning job.
On July 29, iRobot released its second-quarter financial results and supply chain challenges. Nevertheless, Angle said iRobot's long-term plan is showing promise.
In addition to executing on our product road maps and leveraging our unique home understanding, we are also excited about the potential of our iRobot Select service. which we expect will begin to scale later this year as a growing recurring revenue stream. We also look forward to seeing the impact of our DTC infrastructure investments on growing existing customer revenue as we further personalize the online buying experience on our website and Home App and focus on delivering the right promotions to the right customers at the right time.