The Roomba

The Roomba is a robot vacuum cleaner that cleans your floors all by itself. It is a round, flat robot that rolls around the house picking up dirt and dust. You can set it to clean while you are away.

How the Roomba Was Invented

The Roomba was created by a company called iRobot and first sold in 2002. The inventors were scientists who had built robots for the military and for exploring space. They wanted to make a useful robot for regular homes.

The first Roomba was simple. It bumped into walls and furniture and changed direction. Newer Roombas use cameras and sensors to map your home and clean more efficiently.

How the Roomba Works

The Roomba has spinning brushes on the bottom that sweep up dirt. A vacuum inside sucks up the dust and crumbs. Sensors help it avoid stairs and obstacles.

When the Roomba's battery gets low, it drives itself back to its charging station. You can even control some Roombas with your phone or voice. Many families use their Roombas every day to keep their floors clean.

Fun Facts

• Over 40 million Roombas have been sold worldwide.
• The creators of the Roomba also built robots for NASA.
• Some people put costumes on their Roombas and give them names.

Did You Know?

Some cat owners put their cats on top of Roombas, and the videos of cats riding Roombas have become very popular on the internet.