Seatle and Bedford, US, August 5 — Ecommerce company Amazon announces completion of an agreement to acquire the home robotics company iRobot. Amazon will acquire the Roomba-maker company, based in Massachusetts, for $1.7 billion. iRobot launched its first home vacuum cleaner robot called Roomba in 2002, and 20 years later the founder of iRobot Colin Angle said that this merger would further help them to keep innovating in the field of home robotics.
According to Amazon, people have welcomed iRobot’s cleaning bots called Roomba in their homes. The bots save time and money in cleaning homes and are completely automated. With this purchase, Amazon will release many such home bots to make their customers’ lives more enjoyable. Upon the completion of the deal, Colin Angle will remain the CEO of the company.
Exciting news! We’ve signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon. With Amazon, we look forward to inventing more for the home. https://t.co/UboIjNHb9U
— iRobot (@iRobot) August 5, 2022
Development of the household robot market
The global household robot market was valued at $6.81 billion in 2021 but now it is expected to touch $21.94 billion by 2027. This timely step by Amazon to enter into the competitive field of robotics is beneficiary for both the companies and the customers. We already have so many innovations that are even reaching restaurants’ kitchens. Compared to the food robotics market, which is likely to achieve a CAGR growth of 10.4%, the household robotics market will achieve a 20.5% CAGR growth this decade.
Household robots are also called domestic robots and provide automation services such as floor cleaning, pool cleaning, lawn mowing, and many others. The reasons for the surge in home automation are the COVID-19 outbreak, lockdowns, inflation, and increasing safety concerns. The companies that are doing well in this field are iRobot, Robomow, and Mayfield Robotics.
iRobot in a nutshell
A Roomba vacuum cleaning robot is effectively priced and is quite affordable. The cost of these bots ranges from $249 to $1000. The cost difference is based on the services it provides. Take, for example, their latest Roomba S9+ is the most expensive in the line and has four times the suction power compared to the other Roombas. The company also makes many other robots for purposed beyond cleaning and everything is home-based. Some of the latest vacuum robots are also compatible with Amazon’s Alexa service and the Echo smart home devices and follow voice commands.
YouTube: The Rise Of Roomba And iRobot
Photo credit: The images shown are owned by iRobot and were provided as part of a media kit.
