Herman Trend Alert: Beyond Cute

When Roomba was first introduced, one of the reactions was that the application of robotic technology to vacuuming a carpet was “cute.” Since its introduction, 1.3 million units have been manufactured by iRobot in Burlington Massachusetts. Delighted homeowners across the country have enjoyed letting the little robot whirr around cleaning the floor. Sixty percent of Roomba owners have named their valuable labor-saving devices.

From “Herman Trend Alert,” by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists.

GREENSBORO, NC — When Roomba was first introduced, one of the reactions was that the application of robotic technology to vacuuming a carpet was “cute.” Since its introduction, 1.3 million units have been manufactured by iRobot in Burlington Massachusetts. Delighted homeowners across the country have enjoyed letting the little robot whirr around cleaning the floor. Sixty percent of Roomba owners have named their valuable labor-saving devices.

The engineers at iRobot Corporation have responded to public interest, perhaps even demand, by designing a sibling to the popular Roomba. Scooba will be introduced to the retail market this Fall. Early indications are that the new version—designed to clean tile, hardwood, and other floors that need a wet wash, not just a vacuuming—will be very popular.

These floor cleaners have been deliberately designed by iRobot engineers to serve the consumer market. An important question—for the company and for us—is whether this technology has commercial applications. Employers seeking to increase efficiency and reduce labor costs might want to have an inexpensive robot clean their facilities. Hotels and hospitals might realize impressive productivity gains by teaming humans with cleaning robots.

Greg White, executive vice president of iRobot, tells us that Roomba and Scooba were not designed for commercial use. They are engineered to clean residential spaces, then plug into their recharging docks to absorb more energy to continue their work. “Commercial space is usually too large,” White explains. “The technology is not yet strong enough.”

As the labor market tightens, we anticipate that customer demand may encourage iRobot and other designer/manufacturers to develop commercial versions. Imagine closing a retail store, restaurant, or warehouse for the night—with dirty floors. With their new scheduling technology iRobot modified these think-for-themselves cleaning machines to work at pre-programmed times. Employees returning to work in the morning find the floors nice and clean, without the cost of a human cleaning crew.

An insufficient supply of efficient labor inspires new technology. Cleaning floors is but one opportunity. Visit the iRobot site at irobot.com to learn about these robots, then let your mind wander to emerging uses of this—and other—technologies.

The opinions expressed in “Herman Trend Alert” articles appearing on aftermarketNews.com do not necessarily reflect the opinions of AMN or Babcox Publications.

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