Bored with the traditional hand-held vacuum cleaners or the unreliable maids in cleaning the house? Or, just don’t have the time for household chores?

Women, especially those working, have a a solution on hand: Robots.

These home robots do their job even in the absence of anyone at home, as they can be activated and controlled remotely through an app on the mobile phone.

While vacuum cleaning, the e-maid also stacks up kids’ toys, shoes and other things strewn around. After finishing work, the robot reports back, and returns to the dock to get recharged.

Changing trend

Working mothers in metros are increasingly using the next-generation house cleaning robots whose market is expected to surge the next couple of years. These robots are being seen as the next-generation replacement of vacuum cleaners and house maids.

“In the last financial year, our growth has been 136 percent and we expect it to zoom by five times in 2020,” Pulak Satish Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Puresight Systems, told BusinessLine .

He said iRobot has no competition in India. “Currently, we are targeting eight major cities. After 2020, we plan to focus on tier-II cities as well,” he said.

Variants

More than two million iRobots, whose Roomba vacuum cleaning robot made practical robots a reality for the first time, have been sold across 60 countries. The product range also includes the floor-scrubbing Scooba, the mopping Braava, the pool cleaning Mirra and the gutter cleaning Looj. In India, the company has introduced Roomba and Braava.

Benngaluru-based Puresight Systems Pvt Ltd was established in 2014 as a provider of home robotic appliances and started importing it in 2015. It has an exclusive partnership with iRobot to distribute home robots in India.

It currently distributes a range of six iRobot Roomba models for vacuuming, and two Braava models for mopping.

A wireless device, the Roomba comes with a built-in camera and sensors. It maps and automatically navigates the space, clears the clutter on a single charge for up to two hours, after which it goes back to its docking station for recharging.

It also takes care of the litter, embedded dust and grime on the floor. The user can switch the device on and off via a smartphone, Kumar said.

Price range

Priced between ₹19,000 and ₹69,900, iRobot products usually take less than 45 minutes to clean an apartment.

iRobot was founded in 1990 by the roboticists of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with the vision of making practical robots a reality.

In 2014, iRobot generated $557 million in revenue and employed more than 500 of the robot industry’s top professionals, including mechanical, electrical and software engineers and related support staff. iRobot stock trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol IRBT.

The Massachusetts-based company also has offices in California, the UK, China and Hong Kong.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW