iRobot to Sell Pool Cleaner

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Undoubtedly iRobot hopes the demand will be enough for them to really “clean up”, money-wise. At any rate, now that that’s really bad joke is out of the way … the company is selling robotic pool cleaners, but unlike the Roomba, these are not developed by iRobot, but rather by Aquatron.

Aquatron has two pool cleaning robots on the market, the Aquabot and the Aquajet. The first looks very much like iRobot’s new Verro 600 and the latter is a near match for the 300. iRobot’s contribution is mainly the Scooba robotic floor- washing robot, its distinctive blue and white colors, and its not-insignificant brand recognition and market reach. Source: Wired News

We Say: Yep, undoubtedly the main contribution for iRobot in this gambit is brand recognition. The 300 goes for $600, and the 600 goes for $1200, and are apparently available now.