The early pioneer in the home robotics industry and manufacturer of the Roomba vacuum cleaner, iRobot, has officially filed for bankruptcy protection. After 35 years of development, this company that pioneered home robotics ultimately could not withstand the increasingly fierce market competition and announced its entry into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2025.

According to the agreement reached between the parties, iRobot will be acquired by its contract manufacturer based in China, Picea Robotics. Prior to this, iRobot had attempted to reverse its decline through an acquisition by Amazon, but the deal was ultimately abandoned due to regulatory review, which became the last straw.

Despite the change in ownership, iRobot stated that the company will maintain normal operations and pledged that existing Roomba users will not be affected. The company's app features, global partnerships, and ongoing product support are expected to continue. Currently, iRobot has begun collaborating with Picea Robotics to develop a new robotic vacuum cleaner, trying to regain market competitiveness under the new capital structure.