Mechanically Inclined These entrepreneurial robophiles take their business where no man has gone before.
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Vital Stats: co-foundersColin Angle, 35, CEO; Helen Greiner, 35, president; Rod Brooks, 48,CTO of iRobot
Company: Robotic technologyprovider
2003 Sales Projections: Morethan $50 million
Learning Curve: Looking tomake robotics a commercial success, Angle joined with hisprofessor, Brooks, and fellow MIT graduate Greiner to start iRobotin 1990.
"It's thefirst tangible demonstration of a robot your average person canlook at." |
"We were naïve--starting a company with the technologyand no product is a bold plan," says Angle. After creatingsuccessful products like an industrial cleaning robot for SCJohnson Wax and My Real Baby for Hasbro, the partners begandesigning their own.
Robo-Nouveau: Roomba is thefirst automatic vacuum in the United States and iRobot's chanceat becoming a household name. Focus groups introduced to the smalldisc-like object doubted its ability until they saw it in action.So iRobot's founders sought channels such asdemonstration-friendly specialty stores Brookstone and The SharperImage. The midpriced vacuum, sold through the Home Shopping Networkand an infomercial, is reaching all levels of consumers.
Dream Machines: iRobot'smilitary systems division has created the PackBot, a robot used atthe World Trade Center site after 9/11. Roomba is the firstmass-market product out of iRobot's consumer division.
Space Ag(ing): Seeking a wayto meet the needs of an aging population, iRobot is currentlyworking on technology to facilitate virtual caretaking.
