Like Hoover – a brand name interchangeably used as a noun and verb for cleaning floors – the ‘Roomba’, released in 2002, is synonymous with the robot vacuum, cornering 88% of the robot vacuum market.
Since its launch, millions of autonomous vacuums have made their way into people’s homes, and often – as the research reveals – into people’s hearts.
In this episode of Huh? Science Explained, Petra Stock gets sucked in by robot vacuum research.
Huh? Science Explained is a LiSTNR podcast.
Read Cosmos robotics coverage:
- Send in the robots!
- Australia on conveyor belt towards first National Robotics Strategy
- The art of trusting robots
Originally published by Cosmos as Are you ready to Roomba?
Petra Stock
Petra Stock is a journalist and engineer. She has previously worked in climate change, renewable energy, environmental planning and Aboriginal heritage policy.
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