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Squeegee Clean Inventor: Blake Krikorian Availability: Now, $400 To Learn More: irobot.com Scooba, iRobot's follow-up to Roomba, the robotic vacuum, steals a few tricks from its predecessor to tackle a different chore: mopping tile, linoleum or sealed hardwood floors. With each pass, Scooba completes four tasks: it sweeps loose debris, sprays a special Clorox cleaning solution onto the floor, scrubs the surface with a brush and then uses a "squeegee-vac" to suck up the dirty water. Like Roomba, Scooba works around obstacles and has "cliff" sensors that prevent it from falling down stairs. Different sensors keep Scooba...
With 500,000 units sold since its 2002 debut, iRobot's vacuum cleaner the Roomba is a hit. But the new Roomba Discovery ($249) works even better. Its DirtDetect feature prompts the vacuum to spend more time on trouble areas. Smart sensors know when the sucker is stuck and help it dislodge. And the dustbin is three times as large. But in TIME's tests, the Discovery still got stuck on the edges of a rug and missed dust in corners. It's fun to watch, though. --By Anita Hamilton
...robots that communicate with one another and work in harmony to complete an assignment. They have no centralized command system and can cover vast terrain; if one is destroyed, others fill in. His 112 titanium robots resemble small car batteries on wheels. McLurkin is working with a team at iRobot, a private Boston-based robotics firm, to find practical uses for his fleet of 4-in.-high units. McLurkin envisions that his swarm could map terrain on Mars or search for survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake. "If you want to know what's inside a cave...
...pheromones [the biochemical scents that some animals use to communicate]," he says. "As one robot gathers knowledge, it spreads it to its neighbors, and they spread it to their neighbors." Despite his success, McLurkin still gets a high-schoolish kick out of playing with his robots. Attendees at an iRobot holiday party two years ago were treated to the sounds of the first ever swarm orchestra. McLurkin had programmed the robots to arrange themselves into different instrument sections and play Christmas carols. What could be next? "A swarm marching band," he chuckles. "They'll play American standards." --By Carolina...
...swooping up dust bunnies and stray Cheerios and zipping under beds and couches where mere humans can't reach. Its sensors keep it from bumping into walls and furniture or falling off staircases. When it finishes a room, Roomba beeps proudly and turns itself off. INVENTOR iRobot AVAILABILITY Now, $199 TO LEARN MORE www.roombavac.com...