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iRobot unveils its most powerful vacuums yet -- everything to know about the Roomba Max 875 and Plus 678
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iRobot's new 1,199 Roomba Max 875 Combo is its most powerful robot yet
The 1,199 Roomba Max 875 Combo, which the company says delivers its best floor cleaning performance to date, and the 899 Roomba Plus 678 Combo both come with AutoWash Dock. They also serve as the launching ground for iRobot's new SealForce Vacuuming Technology, which works by lowering a skirt hidden inside the machines' chassis and forming a tight seal against the carpets fibers. That gives the robots a suction force of 35,000 Pascals, iRobot's highest yet, enough to pull embedded dirt and debris in carpets. The Max 875 Combo also features the company's ultrasonic ThermaMist Technology that sprays heated mist continuously while it's mopping in order to soften dried stains and dirt. Its PowerSpin Max Roller Mop uses the heated water to scrub the floor with a roller speed of 300RPM and 18 Newtons of downward pressure. This model can automatically detect carpet, raise its mop and then lower a protective shield to keep the rug dry.
iRobot made a non-robot floor cleaner
The Roomba Electro Plus is the company's first non-robotic floor cleaner, so rather than automation, the headline feature here is a 5-in-1 cleaning solution that combines vacuuming, mopping and disinfecting in a single device. Designed to be used on hard floors, the human-operated cordless Electro Plus transforms regular tap water into a commercial-grade disinfectant that, according to iRobot, kills 99.99 percent of bacteria, fungi, viruses and germs. If you're wondering how this is possible, iRobot's chief engineer and vice president, Adam Pope, told that it takes the naturally occurring chlorine in the water from your tap and creates hypochlorous acid with it using an electrical current. Because it eschews chemicals and toxins of any kind in favor of its electrolyzed water tech, iRobot says its new floor cleaner is completely safe for kids and pets. The Electro Plus is designed to clean and disinfect floors in a single pass, and the ThermaClean dock automatically washes, dries and sanitizes the mop.
iRobot Promo Code: 15% Off
Save on iRobot products, including robot vacuums and mops designed to handle pet hair, daily messes, and hands-free cleaning with smart home integration. The brand iRobot launched the first Roomba robot vacuum back in 2002, and popularity for the handy devices skyrocketed from there. Countless competitors have emerged, but Roomba is still going strong. Its latest models have all the new features we love, from doubling as a vacuum and a mop to fantastic navigation and suction. The Roomba Max 705 is currently keeping my house clean as I test it for our robot vacuum guide, and it's doing a great job both mopping and vacuuming the floors in my massive second story.
The Roomba Was a Disappointment
The best-known manufacturer of autonomous vacuums declared bankruptcy this week, and no one should be surprised. The home-vacuum robot began, like most things, with war. In August 1990, the same month and year Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, three MIT roboticists incorporated the company that would eventually become iRobot, the maker of the Roomba. In its first decade, iRobot began to assemble a small-droid A-team for the theater of combat. The Ariel defused mines; the PackBot handled bomb disposal.
What happened to iRobot can happen to anyone
Nobody is immune to knock-offs, bad decision making and tariffs. The company which popularized robot vacuum cleaners around the world has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . The company plans to sell its assets to its primary supplier, China's Picea Robotics, in the hope of maintaining its business. Everyone's got a strident opinion as to why iRobot fell from grace. The rugged individualists blame limp regulators on both sides of the pond (and their hatred for big tech) for blocking Amazon's attempted purchase in 2023.
iRobot has filed for bankruptcy and may be taken over by its primary supplier
After Amazon's acquisition of the Roomba-maker fell apart, it ran out of options. The Massachusetts-based company plans to sell all assets to its primary supplier, a Chinese company known as Picea Robotics. If approved by a bankruptcy court, the move would allow iRobot to continue operating in the ordinary course, pursue its product development roadmap, and maintain its global footprint, iRobot wrote in a press release. The company expects the deal to close in February 2026, but says it will continue to operate with no anticipated disruption to its app functionality, customer programs, global partners, supply chain relationships or ongoing product support. That means your Roomba should continue to clean normally and you'll be able to get consumables and replacement parts.
Roomba vacuum cleaner firm files for bankruptcy
The US firm behind the Roomba smart vacuum cleaner, iRobot, has filed for bankruptcy protection after facing competition from Chinese rivals and being hit by tariffs. Under the so-called pre-packaged Chapter 11 process, the main manufacturer of its devices, Shenzhen-based Picea Robotics, will take ownership of the firm. The tough commercial landscape had forced iRobot to cut its prices and make major investments in new technology, according to documents filed on Sunday. US import duties of 46% on goods from Vietnam, where most of iRobot's devices for the American market are made, increased its costs by $23m (£17.2m) this year, the firm said. The loss-making company was valued at $3.56bn in 2021 after the pandemic helped to drive strong demand for its products.