Roomba Maker iRobot Enters Bankruptcy, Says a Chapter 11 Deal Means Business As Normal
No interruption to app or robot operations, the company promises — but if that changes, makers have options.
iRobot, maker of the Roomba family of robot vacuums, has announced that it is entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and will be acquired by rival Picea — a move framed as a "strategic transition" that represents "a critical step towards strengthening iRobot's financial foundation."
"Today's announcement marks a pivotal milestone in securing iRobot's long-term future," claims iRobot's chief executive officer Gary Cohen of the bankruptcy proceedings. "The transaction will strengthen our financial position and will help deliver continuity for our consumers, customers, and partners. Together, we will work to continue advancing the industry-leading Roomba robots and smart home technologies that have defined the iRobot brand for more than three decades."
The terms of the bankruptcy process will see Picea, once and former rival, acquiring all of iRobot's equity interests — but the company claims iRobot will continue to operate as a standalone company. "By combining iRobot's innovation, consumer-driven design, and R&D with Picea's history of innovation, manufacturing, and technical expertise," Cohen says of the deal, "we believe iRobot will be well equipped to shape the next era of smart home robotics."
iRobot, named after the Isaac Asimov story, was an early pioneer in autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners. Its iconic disc-shape Roomba set the stage for lower-cost rivals to come in and dominate the market, and attempts to diversify into more general-purpose robotics and smart home products did not give the company the boost it was expecting.
The Chapter 11 process is expected to complete by February 2026, the company has said, during which time company operations will continue as normal — including the cloud services on which its robots rely. Should that change, however, projects like Preetham Kyanam's ArduRoomba could provide a way forward by turning Roomba devices into locally-controlled robots with no cloud connectivity requirements.