Roomba: the first robot to settle into homes, whose maker changed hands after bankruptcy

A disc that learns a room by bumping into it

Roomba came out in September 2002 at $199.95. A flat disc a little over 34 cm across cleans the floor by bumping into furniture with its bumper and following walls. Cliff sensors stop it at the top of stairs. It neither looked human nor spoke, yet it sold about a million units in just over two years. Cumulative sales are given as 40 million or more than 50 million depending on the source.

A failed takeover and bankruptcy protection

iRobot’s revenue peaked at $1.6 billion in 2021. In August 2022 Amazon announced it would buy iRobot for $1.7 billion, but after EU scrutiny the deal was terminated in January 2024. Margrethe Vestager, then EU competition commissioner, said: “Such foreclosure strategies could have restricted competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners.” iRobot received a $94 million termination fee but cut about 31% of its staff, and founder Colin Angle stepped down. Revenue fell to $681.8 million in 2024.

Sales continue under new owners

On 14 December 2025 iRobot filed for Chapter 11 in Delaware. On 23 January 2026 it emerged wholly owned by Shenzhen Picea and Santrum HK. It said a new subsidiary, iRobot Safe, would handle US user data. In July 2026 it released a new, cheaper Roomba range, and in September it exhibited at IFA.

Users stayed; the company wavered

Roomba is the most widespread case of a home robot. It changed hands not because users left but because the company’s finances and a merger review faltered. When the bankruptcy news broke, owners worried whether the app and cloud features would keep working.

When the company behind a robot that knows your home’s map changes hands, where does that data go?

What we haven’t confirmed

• The exact cumulative sales figure
• What changed in the app and cloud features after the change of ownership
• Whether any older models lost support during the bankruptcy