iRobot has been saved from oblivion by a mysterious Chinese robo-vac giant –here’s what that means

iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
There should be no immediate disruption for Roomba owners
A new owner, Picea Robotics, is taking over

We knew iRobot was in trouble, and the smart vacuum maker has now officially filed for bankruptcy. However, operations will continue under Chinese manufacturer Picea Robotics – a company that had already been building Roombas for iRobot.

According to the BBC, the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was necessary in the face of increasing competition and hefty tariffs being placed on devices imported into the US. Currently, most iRobot smart vacuums are shipped to the US from Vietnam.

iRobot says there should be no immediate changes to product support, supply chain production, or the mobile apps that accompany the smart home hardware. For the time being at least, you’ll be able to keep using your intelligent vacuum cleaner around the home.

iRobot started out in defense and space technology in 1990, before launching its first Roomba vacuum in 2002. After a pandemic-driven spike in demand, the company was valued at $3.56bn in 2021, but that valuation is now down to around $140m.

Shark and Anker (which has the Eufy smart home brand).

Also known as 3irobotix, Picea Robotics has previously launched its own range of smart vacuum cleaners too, as well as having a variety of interest in other types of technology – including robotics hardware, as The Verge reports.

The new owners of the iRobot brand certainly aren’t newcomers: the overall Picea Group has been around since 2016, and currently employs more than 600 research and development staff, and 5,000 manufacturing staff. It should know what it’s doing – but at this early stage it’s hard to predict exactly what it will do with iRobot.

iRobot says the move will lead to “long-term growth and innovation”, and that the brand will emerge stronger from the bankruptcy process. It will also return to being a private company under the ownership of Picea Robotics.

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