Once, while attending an executive conference for the CE industry, this reporter was asked what technological innovation had most affected her life. The answer was easy, but decidedly low tech: the Swifter, which uses electromagnetic sheets to pick up dust particles.
The Swiffer's replacement is so high tech it was developed at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab and built by a company called iRobot. The Roomba is literally a robotic device that cleans floors all by itself.
There are more than I million Roombas roaming around homes in this country and the robotic revolution in floor care shows no signs of abating. The device is literally sweeping America and crossing retail channels as easily as it zooms across rooms. Selling for an average of $200, the device is being carried by discount department stores such as Target; home specialists including Bed, Bath and Beyond and Linens 'N Things; and CE chains such as Best Buy. The Roomba brings consumers closers to attaining the life promised by futurists, one in which machines will do our dirty work.
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