The first robot vacuum cleaner sold by iRobot was Roomba.
iRobot introduced the original Roomba in 2002. It was a compact, disc-shaped domestic robot designed to move across floors, collect debris and change direction when it encountered obstacles. Its sensors helped it avoid stairs and navigate around furniture without requiring a mapped route.
The first Roomba did not clean in the highly systematic pattern associated with many later robot vacuums. Instead, it used programmed behaviors and sensor responses to cover areas over time. This made it practical for everyday homes while keeping the machine relatively simple and affordable compared with industrial robots.
iRobot later expanded its home-robot range. Braava became the company’s floor-mopping line, while Scooba was designed for wet floor cleaning. Those names are therefore common mix-ups, but they were not the original vacuum product. Roomba became a widely recognized example of consumer robotics and helped bring autonomous robots into ordinary households.