24 ms·

iRobot introduces gutter-cleaning robot

11 points by axiom 19y ago

ivankirigin 19y ago
I happen to know a bit about this bot. Ask any questions you like. The more exciting new robot is the ConnectR. Wifi streaming of video from a mobile platform you can control through the internet. There are many possibilities that opens up. There is simple no other platform with a history of openness that allows for remote mobile video/2-way-audio at this price. That said, an "er"->"R" for the name ConnectR is a tired idea.
- axiom 19y ago
  Question 1: how do you like working with Rodney? :)
  - ivankirigin 19y ago
    He's obviously a very smart guy, though involved mainly at a high level as a technology advisor for future developments. But his students often get jobs at iRobot afterwards, like this guy: http://people.csail.mit.edu/bpadams/ http://people.csail.mit.edu/bpadams/ As both the founder of a number of companies and a big guy at CSAIL, he has plenty of good stories to tell.
- nickb 19y ago
  Hey Ivan! Quick question about the design process... how the heck did you guys come to an idea for making a gutter (among all other applications) robot?! Is gutter cleaning that big of a market? Also, how long does it take to test this bot? How many real gutters did you try? Thanks.
  - ivankirigin 19y ago
    Hmm. I don't want to step on any toes, so I'm just going to answer somewhat generally. There are many smart people at iRobot, and most of em have many crazy ideas. Because the Home Robots side doesn't get government funding, iRobot needs to invest a fair amount into a product before it sees a customer. That means that the market potential needs to be vetted before proceeding. All of this is pretty intuitive. They've turned around this product really fast. That's what iRobot is good at: making something that actually works, really quickly. Like many companies, employees are early testers of the products. One VERY smart guy at the company once quipped: "robotics is the study of the failure modes of connectors". It's sad because it's so true.
- tocomment 19y ago
  If I don't get accepted to YC, can I work at iRobot? Any advice?
  - ivankirigin 19y ago
    send me email.

11 points by axiom 19y ago

I happen to know a bit about this bot. Ask any questions you like. The more exciting new robot is the ConnectR. Wifi streaming of video from a mobile platform you can control through the internet. There are many possibilities that opens up. There is simple no other platform with a history of openness that allows for remote mobile video/2-way-audio at this price. That said, an "er"->"R" for the name ConnectR is a tired idea.

axiom 19y ago
Question 1: how do you like working with Rodney? :)
- ivankirigin 19y ago
  He's obviously a very smart guy, though involved mainly at a high level as a technology advisor for future developments. But his students often get jobs at iRobot afterwards, like this guy: http://people.csail.mit.edu/bpadams/ http://people.csail.mit.edu/bpadams/ As both the founder of a number of companies and a big guy at CSAIL, he has plenty of good stories to tell.
nickb 19y ago
Hey Ivan! Quick question about the design process... how the heck did you guys come to an idea for making a gutter (among all other applications) robot?! Is gutter cleaning that big of a market? Also, how long does it take to test this bot? How many real gutters did you try? Thanks.
- ivankirigin 19y ago
  Hmm. I don't want to step on any toes, so I'm just going to answer somewhat generally. There are many smart people at iRobot, and most of em have many crazy ideas. Because the Home Robots side doesn't get government funding, iRobot needs to invest a fair amount into a product before it sees a customer. That means that the market potential needs to be vetted before proceeding. All of this is pretty intuitive. They've turned around this product really fast. That's what iRobot is good at: making something that actually works, really quickly. Like many companies, employees are early testers of the products. One VERY smart guy at the company once quipped: "robotics is the study of the failure modes of connectors". It's sad because it's so true.
tocomment 19y ago
If I don't get accepted to YC, can I work at iRobot? Any advice?
- ivankirigin 19y ago
  send me email.