Amazon is doing what they do best, buying companies and stuff and robots now. Per a press release this morning, Amazon announced their signed agreement to acquire iRobot – the makers of Roomba, and various other robotic servants that totally won’t rise up after years spent cleaning up after our dumb selves.
The Amazon/iRobot deal is valued at around $1.7 billion, and Amazon gladly paid it. iRobot debuted the Roomba back in 2002 and has really been the industry leader since. Sure there’s cheaper alternatives out there, but generally speaking if you want a robot vacuum cleaner there’s really no better option.
Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent in ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.
Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices
Amazon hasn’t released any plans for the deal yet, so we’re not sure exactly where they’re taking it. However iRobot did just launch their latest iRobot OS earlier this year – an AI powered system for their fancy mops and vacuums. Not too long before that Amazon also released smart home robot – Astro. So Clearly there’s a good bit of overlap in aspirations here.
Let’s just take a quick look at a handful of Amazon’s smart home systems currently: we have this creepy Astro thing, Alexa, Ring doorbells and now freakin’ Roomba.
Now we’ll just have to wait and see if there are any hangups from regulators and the deal gets passed or shot down into the dirt.
Just saying. Jeff Bezos, robot army. Think about it 👀.
