iRobot, the company behind the popular Roomba robot vacuum, has recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is set to be acquired by its contract manufacturer, Picea Robotics. This move comes as Picea Robotics, a Chinese-based company, takes on iRobot’s $190 million loan and forgives the $161.5 million debt owed by iRobot for manufacturing its robots, ultimately resulting in Picea owning iRobot outright.
Picea Robotics, a part of Picea Corp., has a strong presence in the robotics industry, boasting R&D and manufacturing facilities in China and Vietnam. With a track record of producing over 20 million robotic vacuum cleaners, Picea has also ventured into developing harmonic drives for various robotics applications. The company previously launched its own line of robot vacuums under the 3i brand, featuring innovative technologies such as a dust-compacting system and smart dirt-scanning capabilities.
This acquisition marks a significant shift in the robot vacuum market landscape, as Picea Robotics takes over the operations and technologies of iRobot, a pioneer in the Roomba series. As Picea integrates iRobot’s assets into its portfolio, the industry awaits to see how this acquisition will influence future developments in the robotic cleaning sector.
Source: The Verge
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