iRobot

Helen Greiner, CEO of iRobot, which is making robots subsurvient to us.

X, Y, and Z...and its a Robot!

Technology: Navigation (coverage algorythms, wall following, edge detection), Cleaning (edge cleaning, transition, low power) and Agressive IP protection. Had to innovate around issues of infrared.

"Don't want to get into an infinite loop, introduce some randomness, and if all else fails, do something else" -- good advice for people as well as robots.

Innovation: Robots are a completely unique class of systems: a car isn't a hresless buggy, something integral had changed, the deep change has allopwed functionality like speed distance and convenience.

What is the deep change? Sensing tied tothrough intelligent algorithms to action, behavior control lets us build up competencies. Robots respond to the world, not a model of the world.

Coverage Per Room (CPR), nice metric.

Future developments are Auto-Appliances, No Hassle Maintenance and Human Assistance and Care.

Military applications reminded me of a midget tossing contest. Wonder if they have a patent pending alogrithm for compassion.