iRobot Invents Revolutionary Cleaning System

BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), the leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, today brings to market the next-generation Roomba cleaning system that revolutionizes robotic vacuum cleaning. The iRobot Roomba 880 vacuum cleaning robot, iRobot's most advanced Roomba yet, is now available in North America at www.irobot.com/roomba.

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At the heart of the Roomba 800 Series are the new AeroForce Extractors, part of the patent-pending AeroForce™ Performance Cleaning System. These Extractors amplify suction for superior performance over traditional bristle brushes, all while being virtually maintenance free. As a result, Roomba 800 Series delivers up to 50 percent better pick-up of dirt, debris and hair from your floor.

"Bristle brushes have been around for a hundred years. With these new AeroForce Extractors, we've invented a completely different way to clean your floor," said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer of iRobot. "With the Roomba 800 Series and AeroForce technology, iRobot is disrupting the floor care category yet again."

"With more than a decade of cleaning homes around the world, iRobot understands consumer needs and the wide range of challenges associated with robotic floor care," said Christian Cerda, senior vice president and general manager of the Home Robots business unit at iRobot.  "In doing that, we deliver a system that takes care of itself and cleans up to 50 percent better than previous Roomba models."

The AeroForce system, a patent-pending technology, features:

• Brushless, counter-rotating AeroForce Extractors that break down debris and lift dirt, while requiring less maintenance.
• Suction Amplification, resulting from the acceleration of airflow between the AeroForce Extractors.
• A brushless High-Efficiency Vacuum to maximize vacuum power and the new XLife battery for optimized robotic cleaning efficiency.

These technologies result in greater performance and a cleaner floor. Compared to the previous generation Roomba, Roomba 800 Series:

• Is virtually maintenance free – AeroForce Extractors eliminate tangled hair.
• Removes up to 50 percent more dirt, dust, hair and debris.
• Uses a 5x more powerful vacuum than previous Roomba models.
• Holds 60 percent more dirt in the high capacity bin.
• Delivers double the cleaning cycles over the life of the robot, with the new XLife battery.

Familiar Roomba features optimize the Roomba 800 Series:

• Dirt Detect™ Series 2 finds dirt and debris, focusing extra cleaning where it's needed most.
• Persistent Pass Cleaning method enables Roomba to clean like you would, employing a back and forth pattern to apply elbow grease in areas that need it most.
• HEPA filter enables fine debris capture.
• Virtual Wall® barriers can be used to confine Roomba to clean a specific room or area.
• Virtual Wall® Lighthouses automatically guide Roomba through room-to-room cleaning.
• Automatic docking returns Roomba to its Home Base® to dock and recharge between cleaning sessions.
• Scheduling enables you to preset Roomba to clean when it's most convenient for you, up to seven times a week.
• Full Bin Indicator lets you know when the bin needs to be emptied.
• Spot Clean Mode has Roomba perform a quick clean-up of messes confined to a small area.
• Power Management delivers consistent battery life, maintaining Roomba at peak performance.

Roomba 800 Series joins the Roomba 600 and Roomba 700 Series in iRobot's dry floor care portfolio, offering three levels of autonomous vacuum cleaning to people looking for an easier way to maintain a clean home. Each model uses the category-leading iAdapt Responsive Navigation Technology to effectively and thoroughly cover the floor in multiple passes. For wet floor care, iRobot also offers Scooba® Floor Scrubbing and Braava™ Floor Mopping Robots. For outdoor cleaning needs, iRobot offers the Looj® Gutter Cleaning Robot and Mirra™ Pool Cleaning Robot.

The first of the iRobot Roomba 800 Series robots, the Roomba 880, is now available for $699.99 at www.irobot.com.

About iRobot Corp.

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company's home robots help people find smarter ways to clean, its defense & security robots protect those in harm's way, and its remote presence robots enable virtual presence from anywhere in the world. iRobot's products feature proprietary technologies incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.

SOURCE iRobot Corp.