robot

iRobot invented and dominated the robot vacuum industry. Now it’s bankrupt

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The company that created the Roomba robot vacuum cleaners, iRobot, has declared bankruptcy in the United States. The future of its products seems safe, but only after a move in which the winner is the Chinese technological steamroller. what has happened. The company already r in March, and a potential bankruptcy seemed imminent. The financial results The third quarter certainly didn’t help. This Sunday, those responsible requested entry into the so-called “Chapter 11”, a technical bankruptcy that companies in trouble request. The objective of this process is for a company to reorganize its properties and debts to continue operating instead of liquidating all its assets. Disastrous results. iRobot generated nearly 682 million in revenue in 2024, but its benefits have been fading, mainly due to competition with Chinese manufacturers such as Ecovacas. Although iRobot continues to be a protagonist in markets such as the US and Japan, this competition has forced it to lower prices and see its profit margins reduced. The tariffs. Another cause of the fall according to the documents of that bankruptcy application has been the tariffs. Especially those that apply to imports from Vietnam, where iRobot manufactures its robot vacuum cleaners for the United States, and which are 46%, a figure that is hardly sustainable for the manufacturer. That tax increased costs by $23 million in 2025 and made it more difficult to establish future plans. Amazon has gotten away with a good. amazon announced the purchase of iRobot for 1.7 billion dollars – later the figure was adjusted to 1.4 billion. The operation finally was canceled because as the companies expressed “there was no path to regulatory approval for that agreement.” When that agreement fell apart, iRobot began accumulating debts that Picea, the manufacturer of the Roomba, assumed. iRobot will pass into Chinese hands. The plan to get out of iRobot’s technical bankruptcy consists of something very simple but equally terrible for its creators. Picea will end up taking over 100% of iRobot’s assets and will cancel the $190 million of accumulated debts, in addition to the $74 million of debts that iRobot also owed to Picea under the manufacturing agreement that both had. Users can rest assured. According to iRobot, this process will allow there to be no impact on the functionality and support of its products and applications, its customer programs, its partner relationships or its supply chain. This means that current Roomba users will continue to be able to enjoy them with (theoretically) the same level of support as before. Not only that: Picea will theoretically continue to develop and market new models going forward. In four years they are worth 25 times less. In 2021, iRobot had a valuation of $3.56 billion. The pandemic boosted demand and significantly encouraged sales. Four years later data compiled by LSEG and cited in Reuters They indicate that its value is 140 million dollars, 25 times less than then. Pioneers devastated by the Chinese steamroller. iRobot was created in 1990 by three robotics experts from MIT. Although they initially focused on defense and space projects, in 2002 they launched the first robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba. The product was an absolute success, and today it continues to be the dominant brand in the United States (42% share) and especially in Japan (65%). China takes over the market. In recent years, Chinese manufacturers have managed to innovate faster and end up outselling iRobot models. Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame and Xiaomi have already managed to outsell iRobot in the first quarter of 2025, and with the current agreement – ​​Picea, a Chinese manufacturer, will be behind the Roomba – China’s effective market share will be almost absolute in this industry. A clean and silent conquest. In Xataka | “Humanoid robberies are a fantasy”: iRobot co-founder believes there is a robotics bubble

We lost a robot under Antarctica for eight months. He’s back with disturbing facts about the Denman Glacier

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On planet Earth there are still many mysteries that we do not know, especially those that hide in the deep sea where It is very difficult for us humans to reach due to the high pressures that exist. That is why science is committed to send robots to explore this area, although the last one we sent stopped sending signals for months, something that would undoubtedly indicate the worst. But the reality has been very different. The exploration. The mission led for the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership Its objective was to study the ice shelves of Denman and Shackleton of which we really knew little. To do this, they used a float Argo standard that modify their buoyancy to sink, take measurements and rise to the surface again. But in this case there was a big problem: under the ice platform there is no surface, only a ceiling of ice hundreds of meters thick that prevented this robot from rising again, remaining adrift, dragged by the waves. sea ​​currents. We expected the worst. This robot stopped emitting signals about what it was doing in the depths, and was already considered ‘dead’ by the researchers. But now it has resurfaced after eight months of being in this situation. And the good news is that even if it didn’t emit signals, the robot continued working and created 200 profiles, going up and down every five days, collecting data that no human had ever seen. Sailing blindly. The question is obligatory: how do we know where the robot was if it did not have GPS under the ice? To do this, the researchers used an ingenious reverse engineering technique described in the study: every time the robot tried to go up to the surface to transmit, collided with the surface and recorded the pressure at the moment of impact. Something that can be related to the depth at which it was found. When recovering data after its reappearance in open waters, scientists compared those impact points with satellite maps indicating the thickness of the ice in the area. In this way, it was like solving a 3D maze: if the robot crashed 300 meters deep, it had to be at a point where the ice is 300 meters thick. Thus they reconstructed their erratic trajectory of almost 300 kilometers. What we know. Until now we had the idea that East Antarctica was always a ‘stable’ and cold area because, unlike the West, it thaws very slowly. But now we have data that makes us doubt this a lot. In the case of the Shackleton platform we know that it is a cold fortress with a cavity under the ice that is filled with very cold water that protects it from melting from below. If we talk about Denman Glacier We can now relate it to a danger zone, as an intrusion of ‘warm’ water was found flowing towards the base of the glacier. Why it is important. Denman Glacier It’s not just any harmless thing.but it has enough ice to raise global sea level by 1.5 meters. In this way, if the water is warm it will be able to cause this glacier to end up melting and this will undoubtedly be a big problem for the coasts of our planet. Now all that remains is to monitor this area, which can now be categorized as dangerous due to the risks that the planet may finally have if this is something that ends up being confirmed. Images | henrique setim AOML In Xataka | We have been trying to figure out what Antarctica would be like without ice since 1950. We just discovered it

The first autonomous robot waiter in China served me. It’s nothing more than a glorified vending machine

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A few weeks ago I was in Beijing. I went to take photos with a preliminary version of the Realme GT8 Probut there was time to walk around there. I was hoping to find things that would surprise me, like the external batteries that are in every corner of the citybut I came across something unexpected: the Galbot G1. It is a humanoid robot very different from the rest of humanoid robots. Because? Because this is already working. And not in a warehouse or factorylike so many others, but in a much more demanding position: facing the public. He is tending a drinks stand in a very large shopping center. It does this without any human intervention. And… the waiters can rest easy. The robot that serves you bottles of water Before we get into the robot, let’s go with some context. Galbot is another of the many Chinese companies that They are researching robotics. They are focusing not so much on the moving parts as on the ‘brain’ of these robots: the language models connected with a vision system that allows the robot to manipulate objects in a general way. This means you can break away from pre-programmed routines to react in real time. Your brain is powered by hardware NVIDIA Jetson Thorwhich is what allows you to execute that LLM in real time, and has two keys: Navigate without the need for markers on the ground. It does not do it with legs, but with a base that gives it less flexibility, but greater autonomy and stability. Your system allows you to perceive what is around you, “understand” it, and react based on that perception. In short: thousands and thousands of dollars invested in creating a robot with one objective: serving me a bottle of water. Image | Xataka When we stumbled upon the stall, it was by chance. There was no one ordering, all the rows of bottles were intact and it was even strange. But since science doesn’t do itself, I approached, determined to buy the cheapest bottle of flavored water available to do the test. The process couldn’t be simpler: You choose product. You pay with AliPay/WeChat. The robot does its thing. You leave. The problem is that I may be defining the work of a robot that has cost a fortune, but I may also be describing the process of purchasing from a Goya vending machine. There are two differences: the robot is cooler… and it takes much longer. How much? Here it is: As a bartender, meh. In a warehouse it makes sense The truth is that my feeling was strange and the first thing I thought was “the waiters can rest assured because this is not a threat.” But I also wondered to what extent the Galbot G1 that had served me was nothing more than a proof of concept in the real world and the company’s intentions are different. And, indeed. All that technology and reasoning in real time, with perception of physical space thanks to its numerous cameras and sensors located in various parts of the body, is not there to serve me bottles of a few cents, but to carry out work in environments in which it can really be useful: logistics. Because facing acrobaticsthis G1 (because the Unitree is also a G1) is committed to demonstrating its viability in real commercial uses today. One is “light” hospitality, such as the kiosk where I bought, but also logistics in controlled spaces in the last mile. Applications targeted by Galbot It is the video demonstration just above these lines, where we see the adaptability of the Galbot when they move the boxes. The response time in which it analyzes the situation is similar to the one I saw when I ordered my little bottle, and those sales stands in some areas of China are nothing more than training, or that’s what I get the feeling, for its artificial intelligence model. The queue that was set up just when I ordered. Before it was empty. Image | Xataka For now, curiosity, a Furbyan attraction, but in certain environments, it can be very useful. As a machine vendingNo, although it attracts a lot of attention, and a good queue formed not to buy… but to see how he bought. Images | Xataka In Xataka | A robot called “Sardinator” circulated through the streets of Malaga promoting a beach bar. Until the police arrived

We believed that nothing would surpass the Russian robot that ended up on the ground. Until they made one dance in front of Putin

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When it seemed that the humanoid robotics board was dominated by the United States and China, with proposals such as Neo from 1X startup or the Unitree G1 —which even starred in a moment at the Xataka NordVPN 2025 Awards—, Russia decided to make a move with AIDOL, presented as “the country’s first domestic anthropomorphic robot with AI.” The problem was that its debut did not exactly show technological stability: the robot began to wobble, lost its balance and ended up falling face down in front of the cameras. All this with the music of ‘Rocky’ playing in the background. The scene went viral in a matter of hours, overshadowing any technological message that the manufacturer intended to convey. The explanations came quicklybut the public conversation was filled with parodies and memes. In a context where every step in robotics is also measured in terms of reputation, Russia needed a response that showed more than just a failed prototype. Green, the technological replica of Russia. Now, the images arriving from Moscow show a project of a very different nature. Green is an AI-powered humanoid robot that, according to its creators“can move independently and interact with targets in real space.” All development, from mechanical design and electronics to GigaChat-based artificial intelligence, has been carried out by Sberthe country’s largest bank and an increasingly visible player in the Russian technological ecosystem. The humanoid that danced in front of Putin. His debut was very different from that of AIDOL: Green was presented at the conference Artificial Intelligence Journey 2025where he spoke a few words and then, as we can see on YouTubedanced in front of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. “My name is Green. I am the first humanoid Russian robot that has embodied artificial intelligence. This means that I am not just a program on a screen, but a physical embodiment of technology. I was created by Sber engineers,” the robot said before beginning its demonstration. According to Sber, Green incorporates more than a hundred motors and a large number of sensors, allowing it to maintain balance even during rapid and coordinated movements. This time, the presentation did not only seek to surprise, but rather to convey control, stability and a more mature image of the Russian commitment to humanoid robotics. What it means for AI to become embodied The idea of ​​embodied artificial intelligence, according to Sber, goes beyond running models on a screen. It is not just about responding to what a user writes, but about interpreting the environment through sensors, cameras and microphones, processing that information in real time and physically acting. It means providing technology with perception, movement and the ability to make decisions in real situations. That approach proposes a model where hardware is built around artificial intelligence, and not the other way around. What is Russia looking for with humanoid robots? It remains to be seen whether humanoid robots will end up integrating into everyday life, as anticipated by Elon Musk and other figures in the sector. But, should that scenario materialize, Russia wants to ensure that it will have models developed within its borders. Its strategy aims to build technological sovereignty not only in the hardware of the automata, but also in the AI ​​models that drive them and in the infrastructure necessary to train and execute them. For now, there is no information on whether Green will ever become a commercial product or how much it might cost. It is still a technological demonstration and not a robot designed for the market. It is also not easy to place Russia within the global race for humanoids, because there is still no clear data on their real development, their autonomy or their possible applications. What it does seem is that, for the moment, the United States and China are setting the pace in this industry, with more consolidated and visible projects. Images | Kremlin In Xataka | Satya Nadella made the world love Microsoft again. AI is making people hate it again

The PS5 Pro is back on sale, sales on Kindle and Samsung, deals on robot vacuum cleaners and more

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There is only one week left before we face Black Friday, but stores have started powerful campaigns in which we are seeing discounts big enough to take advantage of one, two or a few more. Like every Friday, today we are going to review the best current deals on technology. Kindle Paperwhite by 130.58 eurosan e-book reader with an anti-glare screen for reading at home or away. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra by 989 eurosone of the best phones of the year with one of its best prices to date. Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20+ by 299.99 eurosa robot vacuum cleaner that we really liked and that offers very good vacuuming and mopping results. PlayStation 5 Pro by 699.99 eurosthe most powerful PlayStation console at a more reasonable price. Fire TV Stick 4K by 33.88 euroshe dongle from Amazon, which is once again the one with the best quality-price ratio in the store’s offers. Kindle Paperwhite As in every campaign, Amazon has lowered the price of many of its eReaders with very juicy prices for reading lovers. However, the one that has the best quality-price ratio is the Kindle Paperwhitewhich for 130.58 euros We are talking about a reader with a seven-inch anti-glare screen. Its autonomy is up to 12 weeksIt weighs very little and is very pleasant in hand. Plus, you have access to the Kindle store. Other Kindle readers that may interest you: Kindle Paperwhite (latest generation) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Stores have lowered the price of Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultraone of the best phones of the year and our favorite in the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025. But MediaMarkt has gone one step further and considers it 989 euros. It is a super high-end all-terrain mobile that stands out both in power and in its screen with anti-reflective treatment. Plus, its software is a real treat and will receive updates for seven years. Other mobiles that may interest you: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20+ On a personal note, during Black Friday I am looking for a good robot vacuum cleaner that vacuums and mops. At the moment, the one that interests me the most due to its quality-price ratio is the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20+ (I leave you other alternatives just below that also interest me), which for 299.99 euros This is a model that we really liked at Xataka. Has laser navigationis compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant and offers a suction power of 6,000 Pa. Other robot vacuum cleaners that may interest you: The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PlayStation 5 Pro The PlayStation 5 Pro It is an expensive console and we rarely get to see it on sale, but during the Black Friday season you can buy it for a slightly better price. By 699 euroswe are talking about the most powerful console of the brand. If what you are looking for is the higher graphic quality without losing performancethis model may be more interesting than the standard one with or without reader. Plus, it comes with 2TB of SSD instead of one. Other offers on PlayStation that may interest you: The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Fire TV Stick 4K Of course, during the time of Black Friday there could be no shortage of offers on the Fire TV Stick. Again, the one that has the best quality-price ratio is the Fire TV Stick 4Ksince for a little more than what the HD model costs we can make a fairly big jump in specifications and performance. By 33.88 eurosit is a model that plays in 4K and is compatible with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Other offers on Fire TV Stick that may interest you: The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Amazon, Samsung, Xiaomi, PlayStation In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Which Kindle to buy: buying guide with recommendations to get it right with Amazon e-book readers

In 2018 Russia presented its new and revolutionary humanoid robot. The only problem is that it wasn’t a robot.

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Yeah “AI” is a trendy technological concept, the other is robotics. humanoid robotsspecifically. The United States and China have embarked on a race to see who creates humanoid consumer robotsbut when in 2018 it was only Atlas jumpingRussia already had a humanoid robot dancing and putting on a show. His name was Boris, but there was one problem: he wasn’t a robot. robotic cold war. Until the recent generation of robots, which have left laboratories and workshops to become compete even in sports eventsthe great reference in robotics was Boston Dynamics. On the one hand, with Spot, the robot dog. On the other hand, with an Atlas that did parkour and executed very fluid and calculated movements. Although owned by Hyundai, those advances came from the United States, and Russia wanted to get into the conversation. Thus, in December of 2018, something occurred on the state channel Russia-24: a robot that looked like an astronaut and named Boris came on stage. He did so in the city of Yaroslavl, where the Proyektoria Annual Science and Technology Forum had just been inaugurated, aimed at promoting robotics and technology among young people. It was an important event, since it had the support of the Ministry of Education itself and Putin had attended previous versions. The Russian prodigy. Boris was a machine, in the figurative sense. He danced, talked, had dreams and illusions, stating that he wanted to learn musical composition and draw, and it was treaty like a celebrity on the television channel. It was the most advanced example of Russian robotics and seemed finished. Atlas had cables hangingBoris a helmet, little lights and he was a movie robot. There were those who began to wonder things. Appears at the 32nd hour of this video. Suspicions. TJournal is a Russian technology website and was one of the first to question the authenticity of the robot. How to collect BBCthe questions were quite accurate: Why aren’t there any sensors? How has it appeared out of nowhere without prior leaks? Why is no one on the Internet talking about something so advanced? Why were some movements so fluid during the dance? Why was the voice so robotic? And most importantly: why was it so unnecessarily large? But the most important thing is that, beyond the official images of Russia-24, which seemed to be very concerned that the country gave the impression of having this very advanced device, there were other images. Taken by the assistants, in some of those photos from behind a human neck was perfectly visible protruding from the back of Boris’s head. Caught. Very expensive costume. There was no need to investigate much: Boris was nothing more than a suit that a worker had put on. The suit could be bought. If you had 3,600 euros, you could buy the Alyosha model from the Show Robots company, which also came with Iron Man or Robocop suits. In fact, it was a media agency founded by a rival of Putin that public some photos with the actor putting on the suit. Deception? Naaah, a joke. Imagine the embarrassment after pulling on the blanket. The video went viral and was mocked, so much so that, a few days after its publication, Russia-24 removed it from its YouTube channel. However, two days after the original broadcast, they re-uploaded it and published an interview with the journalist who had done the piece. The excuse? He was sure no one would believe it, since he was like Santa Claus: a project for children. The problem is that the journalist narrated the original report as if it were Russia’s latest technological marvel. Those responsible for Proyektoria threw up their hands and said that they had never claimed that it was a robot, that it was not their business and that those at Russia-24 did not find out about the film. The problem is that there were those who pulled the blanket and discovered that Russia-24 had already shown a fake military robot. In fact, in 2019 the play was repeated with another robot taking the kickoff in a match between FC Orenburg and CSK Moscow. It was another man in disguise and the video is brutal. The state of Russian robotics… In the international media there were those who laughed it off, like CBS affirming that “regardless of the intention, Boris will not go down in history as the most embarrassing example of Russian fake news.” And we remember this episode because, recently, Russia has presented AIdol, its first humanoid robot. Already gone… wrong. With the soundtrack of ‘Rocky’ in the background and with a face of “please, what am I doing here”, the first thing the new Russian robot did was take a couple of steps to fall on its face. The scene is high-level unintentional comedy, with the robot kicking on the floor and the employees taking it away and covering the stage with a large black cloth. At least AIdol is real. Images | ПроеКТОриЯ In Xataka | In China they are not satisfied with creating advanced robots: a company has developed a head that gestures like a human

A beach bar in Malaga had the happy idea of ​​taking its ‘Sardinator’ robot for a walk. Until the police found out

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An establishment in La Malagueta decided to innovate when it came to attracting new customers with an advertising robot that wandered along the seafront, advertising mojitos, caipirinhas and espetos for four euros. Although the idea was striking and made heads turn among the local residents, the Malaga City Council has stopped the initiative. ‘Sardinator’ does not comply with municipal regulations and the Local Police have already reported the beach bar. The beach bar play. The robot, named Sardinator, walked along the La Malagueta promenade inviting people around to follow its voice to the beach bar. It wasn’t a waiter robot of those that serve inside the premises, but an autonomous device designed to advertise in the middle of a public street. It advertised drinks and food as it moved, although according to MálagaHoyhis ability to avoid obstacles left a lot to be desired: “he avoids trash cans, but he is not so skilled with people”, even tripping over a pedestrian. Why did the police intervene? Just like has shared The medium, Elisa Pérez de Siles, Councilor for Public Roads of the Malaga City Council, assured that this type of robots “are not authorizable” in the city. The use of the device on the promenade violates the municipal ordinance, which is why the Local Police were ordered to draw up a report and report the establishment. Although in other cities they are quite popular devices, in Malaga “there is an ordinance that must be complied with,” said the councilor. The political reaction. The municipal group Con Málaga has also focused on the issue. Its councilor, Toni Morillas, submitted a letter to the mayor asking about the robot after receiving complaints from neighbors who observed the advertising device “with astonishment.” Morillas even described the situation as “Málaga, the lawless city” on his social networks, according to inform MálagaHoy, highlighting the concern over the lack of control over this type of initiatives on public roads. The legal loophole of advertising robots. The case of Sardinator is something very specific and Spanish legislation does not yet specifically contemplate autonomous advertising robots on a public road. Municipal ordinances regulate outdoor advertising through urban planning licenses, but these regulations are designed for static elements such as fences, signs or posters. Many ordinances expressly prohibit the distribution or delivery of brochures and advertising on public roads, and even advertising in circulating or parked vehicles except for very specific exceptions. The boom of robots in hospitality. Sardinator does not seem to have had the same luck as other robots that have had growing popularity, such as those who work inside serving at the tables. In Spain, waiter robots are being introduced mainly in fast food restaurants, chains and some fine dining restaurants. Cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia or Seville have already seen the introduction of these robots in several establishments. The fundamental difference here is that these robots move in controlled private spaces, not on public roads, which avoids conflicts of this type. Without going any further, in Malaga, there are several establishments that have incorporated this type of robots, although never outside the premises, as is the case of Sardinator. How they work. Waiter robots are designed to take orders from the kitchen to the customer’s table, following already marked routes and avoiding obstacles. The manufacturers are mostly of Chinese origin, including PUDU Robotics with its Bellabot and Kettybot models, Orion Star with Lucky, and Keenon, although there are also Spanish companies such as DAX Robotics with its Delibot and Slimbot model. The prices of waiter robots range between 6,000 and 15,000 euros, and they can support up to 60 kilos of load. They are equipped with LIDAR laser sensors and 3D cameras to move autonomously and safely. Robots as an alternative to labor shortages. The labor shortage in the Spanish hospitality industry, which affects more than 60% of businessesaccording to the Bank of Spain, means that this type of device could end up being an effective alternative. This is not about replacing staff, but about easing the burden due to the difficulty in finding waiters and qualified staff, which is why many establishments are turning to service robots as support. Although they are not yet a complete substitute for human interaction nor are they profitable for all establishments, these robots may end up representing a pragmatic response to a structural problem. And now what. The La Malagueta beach bar will have to return to traditional advertising methods or look for alternatives that respect the regulations. Meanwhile, ‘Sardinator’ has stopped touring the promenade and his catchy “mojito, caipirinha, daikiri” promotion is no longer heard in the area. Let’s give a minute of silence for our friendly friend. Cover image | Javier Albiñana In Xataka | The crazy story of the Galician woman who registered El Sol before a notary, sold plots online and then took eBay to court

It is proof that China has won the robot vacuum war

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Already it was seen coming for a long time: iRobot is sinking and bankruptcy is knocking on the door. The one that pioneered robot vacuum cleaners has been going through difficulties for years and their current situation is critical: they have admitted that they barely have cash to operate and there are no more ways to earn income. It looks very bad. what has happened. iRobot has published the third quarter results of the year and paint a very gloomy scenario. Revenue was $145.8 million, down 33% in the United States, 13% in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and 9% in Japan compared to the same period last year. The serious thing, according to its CEO, is that due to “market difficulties, production delays and unforeseen interruptions in shipments” the use of cash increased and right now they only have 24.8 million dollars and no additional source of income in sight. Why is it important. iRobot was the one who started the robot vacuum cleaner market in 2002 with the first Roomba model. In 2016 They were market leaders. with a share of 64%, but the emergence of more competitors meant that the pie began to be shared more and more, reducing its portion. iRobot reached its peak valuation in 2021 and from there it was downhill and without brakes. In 2022 Amazon threw her a lifeline and tried to buy herbut regulatory problems in the European Union they caused the agreement to end up being diluted. Its fall is not only important because it was the company that inaugurated the sector, which made us call robot vacuum cleaners ‘Roomba’, it is also confirmation that Chinese companies have conquered the sector. Possible bankruptcy. In a document addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission Last October, the company warned of its critical situation and opened the door to bankruptcy as soon as December 1st. The reason is that it has a credit agreement with The Carlyle Group and has two key requirements: to demonstrate that the company can continue to operate and to maintain a minimum of core assets, something they cannot currently meet. The problem is that they have already received two extensions and the deadline is December 1. They need another extension or sell the company, but they have no buyer. What’s wrong with my Roomba. In statements to The VergeiRobot says the company continues its daily operations, including support for its products. However, if the company closes and the cloud stops working, it will mean that the Roombas will lose their online connectivity. That is, they cannot be controlled from the mobile phone with the app, but they will continue to work using the buttons. It’s already happened. Even if iRobot goes bankrupt, its cloud services may continue for a while, the question is for how long. This is what has happened with Neato vacuum cleaners. The company closed in 2023 and their cloud continued to function, until a couple of weeks ago when they announced that they turned it off permanently. Neato vacuum cleaners only work in manual mode and it is no longer possible to use the app to control the robot or create cleaning routines. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Dyson is late to the robot vacuum party. Your ace in the hole is an AI that identifies and removes difficult stains

a temporary robot with AI, drones and without labor rights

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The “robots eat us” is far away for some jobs. In others, that science fiction scenario became a reality a long time ago. Every time it is more common to see that department stores are operated by robots and that automated or remote-controlled machines they have made a space in a framework in which there is a lack of labor. The countryside does not escape from that reality and in a country as dependent on agriculture as Spain, there are already those who are testing self-employed seasonal workers with artificial intelligence who They work tirelessly. And the controversy is served. Temporary with AI. A few days ago there was XXX IRTA Fruit Daysa meeting in which agricultural companies present technical innovations for the sector. One of the participants was Moreno Intec del Pla, a distributor and manufacturer of agricultural machinery specialized in fruit harvesting that has to its credit the Tecnofruit: a picking platform with conveyor belts on which human workers manually place the fruit. At this year’s event, the company presented a robot that has been in development for four years. It is a kind of huge container that has the fruit tanks, diesel tank, engine and wheels, but that has eight drones hooked to its upper part. Each of them is armed with an arm that they use to pick up the fruit (apples, in this case) and place it in the containers. The main advantage? They don’t get tired and each unit has integrated lighting to continue working, whatever the time of day. How it works. Each drone has cameras that allow the specimens to be identified, and a artificial intelligence It is responsible for analyzing whether the piece fits the parameters predefined by the farmer. This system can be configured to harvest all units or to discriminate based on size or color, and although it has remote control so that a single person can control up to five harvesters with the tablet, operation is autonomous. Apart from harvesting, it can also perform other functions such as the selective elimination of small fruits and, although the system currently uses a diesel engine with the aim of guaranteeing long autonomy, there are plans to create electrified versions. Costs and labor. Lluís Asín is responsible for the IRTA Fruit Growing program and, as we read in Segrecomments that systems like this represent “an important leap in the competitiveness of the sector.” He states that between 30% and 40% of the production cost of a plantation corresponds to the harvest and that platforms like this can help improve the profitability of the fields. And, of course, the debate is on the table because the robot arrives to directly replace human labor. Sergi Moreno is the technical director of Tallers Moreno, promoters of this robot, and assures that “it replaces the human part of the process. Each drone acts as if it were a person, but with the ability to operate day and night without rest.” He continues by pointing out that “the main problem of the sector is the lack of labor at the time of harvest”, but it is not perfect and can be seen in the demonstration video: “the same productivity as in manual work has not yet been achieved.” Japanese impulse. Now, Moreno is clear that “the future of the field depends on this automation,” and although Tallers Moreno have been the promoters, the robot has the impulse from Kubota Corporation. This is a Japanese agricultural machinery manufacturer that is developing and marketing autonomous drones for fruit and vegetable harvesting. plantation care. It is not unusual for proposals like this come from Japansince the country is going through a deep birth crisis that is affecting all sectors of society, and work in the field is not left out of this. This automation, in addition to reducing labor costs by 30% (a figure that coincides with IRTA’s estimate), allows increase the height of trees so that they produce more and they claim that the return on investment occurs in just three weeks. World. The development of this machinery is not isolated and Kubota is working hand in hand with the Israeli company Tevel Aerobotics Technologies. Like many other countries, Israel has a problem with agricultural labor, which is why it is looking to accelerate the development of these autonomous drones. It is one of the epicenters of both development and testing, but there are other countries involved. In the United States, states such as California or Washington are already integrating drones in fruit and vegetable harvesting. lettuce. In Europe, Italy and Spain have pilot collection programs underway and are also creating development and collaboration platforms, such as Tallers Moreno. Chile is evaluating the implementation for apple and grape farms. Debate. There are other countries in which putting drones to work is being well developed or valued, and the debate is served for the reason you can imagine: it is something that directly replaces the human worker. There are already voices that warn of a future in which the majority of these seasonal jobs will be absorbed by local automation, threatening livelihood of thousands of workers around the world. Furthermore, there are those who point to a unequal access because it will be the large producers that, with more means, will access this machinery, further strangling the small plantations. There is also the opposite argument, the one that defends robotic labor, pointing that there is no one who wants to work in the field and that new jobs will be created, with people who will have to train to control and maintain these robots. We continually talk about robots in facilities like car megafactoriesdepartment stores of companies such as Amazon and even in the kitchenbut now the field can be that place where robots perform another silent surprise. Although it will be necessary to see if the collection speed improves, because currently it is far from optimal. Images | Tevel In Xataka | You cannot get on the … Read more

This humanoid robot promised to do our housework. For now it’s a $20,000 puppet

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Neo is 5’6″, weighs 30kg, is dressed in some kind of beige work overalls and moves slowly and clumsily. It is one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world—so it seems in the official websiteof course—and it costs $20,000, but despite all this it has a big problem: it is not really autonomous, and is controlled by another human being, as if it were an ultra-modern puppet. There is a long way from saying to doing. We talked about Neo a year ago. The company that develops it, 1X, boasted of beginning to test it in the real world. The version they used then, Neo Beta, had an autonomy of up to four hours and had sensors that allowed it to boost its “embedded learning” system. Already then it was indicated that a teleoperator would connect to the robot to show it how to do something. Robot-puppet. In reality, the teleoperator is the key to everything, because this robot, like its current version, does not work autonomously, but is controlled remotely by a human operator. Said operator puts on mixed reality glasses and uses controls to perform this control. In The Wall Street Journal have had the opportunity to try it and to see how the future that robotics companies paint for us seems to be still very far away. a robot clumsy and slow. In the video that accompanies the article it is clearly seen how the robot’s movements are erratic and slow. It took him forever to open the refrigerator to get a bottle of water and he managed to put two (plastic) glasses in the dishwasher, but it also took him a long time to get it. Folding a sweater took him two minutes. All these operations show that the dexterity of these robots is still very far from equaling that of humans, especially when it comes to emulating our hands. And on top of that, privacy. During the tests it became clear that one of the problems of using this robot is that the user sacrifices part of his privacy, because he must give permission for the teleoperator to see through the robot’s cameras to complete his tasks. And that means “getting into our house.” 1X CEO Bernt Børnich explained in WSJ that Neo “is not for everyone. If you buy this product, it is because you agree with the social agreement. If we don’t have your data, we can’t improve the product.” Even so, those responsible say, “you will always have control” and for example you can establish prohibited areas or blur faces in the transmission. See to learn. They precisely need all that visual data: so that the Neo’s neural network system can learn from trying to complete those household tasks and, from there, solve them more accurately. It is something similar to what happens with Tesla’s fleet of cars, which also “learns” thanks to all those kilometers that the cars travel to perfect their autonomous driving system. “Probably safe”. Another key element of these robots is the security they offer in an environment as private as our home. It’s not particularly heavy, which helps minimize risks, and 1X says Neo is “probably safe.” In 2026 it will be much more autonomous. Børnich’s promise is that Neo will “do many of the household tasks autonomously,” although he admitted that the quality with which those tasks are completed will be somewhat poor initially. He compared the situation with that of the first images and videos generated by AI: now those images and videos are practically indistinguishable from reality, and something similar will happen according to him with Neo. The promise may never be fulfilled. Neo is the latest example of how the robotics segment is the other great seller of expectations (along with AI) for the future. The challenge here is just as enormous, but the fact that Neo is not truly autonomous is disappointing, as was what happened with Tesla’s Optimus or the recent news of the Japanese store robots. Yann LeCun, one of the top AI managers at Meta, indicated at a recent conference at MIT that these robots could end up going nowhere. According to him, the companies that are investing billions of dollars in humanoid robots “have no idea” how to make these machines “smart enough to be generally useful.” In Xataka | Amazon has calculated how much it costs to lay off 600,000 employees: 30 cents per item sold and many robots

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