Image credit: iRobot. Official product image. US Combo j9+ with Auto-Fill dock, September 2023 launch context. Camera origin is unverified. Image source (opens in a new tab)
Image credit: iRobot. Official product image. US Combo 10 Max with AutoWash dock, July 2024 launch context. Camera origin is unverified. Image source (opens in a new tab)
iRobot
Roomba's maker entered private Picea ownership in January 2026. Its product range centers on floor cleaning.12
iRobot makes Roomba floor-cleaning robots. After a court-supervised restructuring, it became a private company wholly owned by Picea on January 23, 2026, while retaining its headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts. For a household comparing Roombas, that makes both the exact model and the business supporting it worth understanding.1
Visit iRobot ↗From robotics research to the living room
Colin Angle, Helen Greiner and Rodney Brooks founded iRobot in 1990. The company's history describes Angle and Greiner as MIT roboticists who teamed up with their professor, Brooks. In 2002 it introduced both Roomba and the PackBot tactical robot. Those early products put robotics into very different settings, with the floor cleaner becoming the family's route into the company's work.5
Amazon's proposed acquisition ended in January 2024. The Picea transaction followed a court-supervised restructuring and took effect on January 23, 2026. The operating business continued under its new owner, while the old shares and other equity interests were cancelled. iRobot's history and Roomba name continued; the former public shares did not.126
The next chapter is still about floors. iRobot announced the compact Roomba Mini with an AutoEmpty dock for the UK and Europe in March 2026. In September it showed the Roomba Duo prototype at IFA, combining a main cleaning robot, a smaller companion and a shared mobile dock. That September announcement names Hao Li as CEO. These developments show the company's direction; the Duo demonstration was a prototype presentation.911
Products and household jobs
The useful thread for a buyer is the division of labor between the robot and its owner. The Combo j9+ dock empties debris and tops up cleaning liquid. The Combo 10 Max goes further by washing and drying the mop pad. Those are different levels of assistance, even though both products carry the Roomba Combo name.78
iRobot Roomba Combo j9+
The Combo j9+ pairs vacuuming and mopping with an Auto-Fill dock that empties debris and replenishes cleaning liquid. Pad washing remains an owner task: iRobot's care guide describes hand washing or a warm machine cycle followed by air drying. That distinction matters if handling a dirty pad is the chore you most want to avoid.712
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max
The Combo 10 Max adds an AutoWash dock that washes and dries the mop pad. Its support guide still calls for care of the washing basin, overflow basin, roller and filter. The extra automation changes the maintenance routine, so consider both what the station does and which parts you will need to reach.813
Roomba Mini
Roomba Mini was announced with an AutoEmpty dock for the UK and Europe on March 10, 2026. Use the regional announcement as a starting point and check the local model and package before buying.9
Think about the work left for you
In its January 23, 2026 ownership announcement, iRobot said it had established iRobot Safe to oversee protection of US consumer data, with an independent US-citizen board and a US-based data-security officer. These were the company's stated safeguards at the time. Its privacy notice separately describes connected-device usage and home information, with collection depending on the device and its use. Review the policy and account settings for the exact robot, including any image-sharing options.1210
Which chore do you want to stop doing?
Start with one ordinary task: picking up crumbs after dinner, mopping the kitchen or washing a dirty pad. Then ask who will refill liquid, clean the dock and buy replacement parts. Can you reach the components without moving furniture? For a new or used purchase, ask the seller to identify the exact robot, included dock, current app access and written local support terms.781213
Read more on Robots in the House
Sources and notes
- iRobot transaction completion
Picea acquired all equity on January 23, 2026; iRobot became private and retained its Bedford headquarters. This is company location, not product manufacturing origin. iRobot Safe is the company-described data-governance arrangement, not an independent security audit. The Gary Cohen CEO attribution belongs to January; the September release names Hao Li. Source checked 2026-10-25, 2026-10-26.
- iRobot emergence Form 8-K
Items 1.03 and 3.02: the plan became effective January 23, 2026; old shares were extinguished and new shares issued to Santrum, a wholly owned Picea Robotics subsidiary. Legacy IRBT and IRBTQ do not identify a current listed interest in the reorganized company. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- iRobot Form 15
Actual Form 15, not merely the intention to file it in the 8-K. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- iRobot fiscal Q3 2025 Form 10-Q
Historical, pre-reorganization consolidated statements, printed pages 3-4 and liquidity note. The three-month June 29 to September 27, 2025 column is unaudited US GAAP. USD thousands were multiplied by 1,000 for the displayed revenue and net loss. Cash of US$24.8 million is the rounded period-end balance, excluding restricted cash. Nine-month results and comprehensive loss are different measures. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- iRobot twentieth-anniversary company history
The March 2010 company history identifies the three founders, MIT background and 2002 introductions. Its contemporary ticker and executive titles are historical. No first-hand testing or current military-product offering is implied. Source checked 2026-10-25, 2026-10-26.
- Termination of Amazon acquisition agreement
The acquisition was terminated. No Amazon ownership is proposed. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- Combo j9+ and vacuum-only j9+ introduction
US launch $1,399 for Combo j9+ versus $899 vacuum-only j9+. Neither is a current offer. Performance superlatives and comparative percentages excluded. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- Roomba Combo 10 Max media kit and launch release
Official kit identifies product. Historical promise of Matter is not current delivery verification; no media license assumed. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- Roomba Mini UK and Europe announcement
Use only for the dated regional launch, not current inventory or an exhaustive 2026 portfolio. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- iRobot Privacy Notice
The notice describes connected-device usage and home information; applicable collection depends on the model, features and settings. It is not a guarantee of local-only processing or a support-duration commitment. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- iRobot September2026 release
September 4, 2026 announcement identifies Hao Li as CEO and Roomba Duo as a prototype shown at IFA. The leadership transition date was not established. No retail offer or independent performance finding is inferred. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Combo j7+/j9+ pad and tank care
Instructions explicitly include j9+. No transfer of other Combo models' maintenance schedule. Source checked 2026-10-25.
- AutoWash pad-washing roller and basin care
Monthly, visibly dirty or app-directed basin cleaning. Automated rinsing does not remove manual maintenance. Source checked 2026-10-25.
We use official disclosures and other identified sources. Company claims are attributed; these profiles do not represent hands-on product testing. Our editorial and AI-use policy.