Author: Shawn Knight

The big picture: iRobot, best known for its Roomba brand of robotic vacuum cleaners and floor mops, was a pioneer in the early days of home autonomy. For a while, the Roomba name itself became synonymous with robotic vacuums and many erroneously thought it was actually the company’s name. Now, iRobot has warned investors that it might not survive the next 12 months as it continues to explore the possibility of a sale or a strategic partnership. iRobot’s success spawned a whole new industry, and it didn’t take long for competitors to bring rival cleaning bots to market – often…