Part II, By Julie McCay Turner
Twenty-five years ago, there were really no robots to speak of, but iRobot’s co-founders wanted to make them “real and practical,” according to CEO and Co-Founder, Colin Angle.
One of the company’s first initiatives was to send a robot to the moon and sell the movie rights to fund the project. Their collaboration with Bob Weiss, producer of the Blues Brothers movies, led to a small micro-rover that was launched at Edwards AFB in a project that was taken over by NASA. Some of the work behind this project and others in the end resulted in Sojourner exploring Mars in 1997.
A “meandering” 12-year corporate history, characterized by exploration into a variety of technologies, began in Colin Angle’s Watertown living room in 1990. While not every project was a roaring success, each contained the scintilla of an idea that led to further exploration. And, eventually to one of iRobot’s signature products, the Roomba vacuum cleaning robot, in 2002.
Angle noted that it could be considered unusual for a single company to have such diverse competencies, but before Roomba came to the market iRobot had created complex robotic toys in collaboration with Hasbro, developed an automated industrial floor cleaning device for Johnson Wax, and mine-hunting devices for the Department of Defense.
The business premise behind a housekeeping product was clear: Almost every time Angle was introduced, the first question strangers asked referenced Rosie, the Jetsons’ robotic maid – “When are your robots going to clean my floors?”
Integrating technology and algorithms from iRobot’s diverse project experiences helped the company’s engineers suggest solutions that resolved three important challenges: COST, building robust robotic toys at a reasonable price point; CLEANING, developing that industrial floor cleaner; and COVERAGE, using algorithms similar to those in the mine hunter to fully clean a room.
After 9/11, iRobot sent PackBot® their tactical mobile robot to Afghanistan to perform reconnaissance missions, and the company’s fortunes soared. iRobot went on the NASDAQ stock exchange with the ticker symbol IRBT in November, 2005 when PackBot became the first-ever robot to ring NASDAQ’s opening bell.
IRobot came to Bedford via offices in Cambridge, Somerville and Burlington, each time in a more commodious space and, in Bedford, in proximity to a “robot test track” where defense department robots are tested. Bedford has been the company’s home, “for a long time,” said Angle, “and we’re happy to be here.”
Citing the town’s proximity to academic institutions, generally affordable housing, and a navigable system of feeder highways, iRobot advocates for greater connectivity with areas like Cambridge, Somerville and Boston where the next generation of young professionals often prefer to live. That said, according to a CNBC report by Mary Thompson on March 6, iRobot is adding new employees at a healthy rate, both last year and in 2015.
The company’s mission, crafted in 1992, remains in effect: Build cool stuff, Deliver great products, Make money, Have fun, Change the world. And it seems to be working.
Click to read Part 1 of the iRobot story – National Robotics Week
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