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iRobot is working with Google to improve smart devices

The Roomba-maker is collaborating with Google on improving the efficiency of your smart home.

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Ty Pendlebury
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Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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iRobot

Google and Roomba-maker  iRobot  announced Wednesday they are collaborating on further integrating robotic vacuums into part of a Google Home setup.

"We're looking forward to working with Google to explore new ways to enable a more thoughtful home," Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot, said in a press release.

The $999 iRobot Roomba i7+ is the company's first vacuum to create lo-res maps of user's homes. A company spokesperson told CNET the collaboration hopes to "explore how robotic technologies can help to create a more cohesive and seamless smart home experience through spatial context."

At the moment, users can say, "OK Google, tell Roomba to start cleaning," and the iRobot i7+ will react, for example. However, the iRobot room data could also be used by this and other smart devices -- such as thermostats and speakers -- which work on a room-by-room basis. 

Last year, Angle said iRobot was looking for smart home partners to improve the way their devices work. He stressed that iRobot devices would only share information with other manufacturers with the user's consent.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.