TRAILBLAZER
Colin Angle
As the CEO and Co-Founder of robotics giant iRobot , Angle has had an extraordinary degree of influence over the global personal robotics market
Alongside establishing ( and driving the long-term success of ) the personal robotics company iRobot , Angle also previously worked at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration ’ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory . There , he worked on the design of the rovers that , ultimately , led to Sojourner ’ s 1997 Mars exploration .
In short , Angle is one of the world ’ s leading influencers in robotics technologies . And , for more than 30 years , he has been at the forefront of this global industry and its extraordinary developments .
iRobot , Roomba , and shaping the home robot market Three decades ago , Angle became one of the first-movers in the home robot industry . With the launch of the iconic floorvacuuming robot , Roomba , his company , iRobot , marked one of the first steps in this transformative sector .
Speaking in an interview with The Verge , Angle explained that the idea for Roomba came from remarkably pressing customer demand .
“ The idea came because everyone asked for it ! I would literally introduce myself , and people wouldn ’ t say ‘ good to meet you ’ or ‘ how are you ’, but ‘ When are you going to clean my floor ?’ It was very predictable . And after a while , I would say back , ‘ Well how much are you willing to pay ?’ Because I didn ’ t know how to build a vacuum cleaner that was inexpensive .”
At the time , Angle and his team were already working with the cleaning giant S . C . Johnson , on a project to build new cleaning machines .
“ And when that project was winding down , there were a few employees – including Joe Jones – who said , ‘ We have this idea : I think we finally know enough to build a consumer robot ’. And I said , ‘ Okay , here are some resources . Show me what you can do ’.”
Fast forward three decades and the Roomba has not only sold over 40 million products across the world , but iRobot was acquired by Amazon in 2022 in a huge purchasing deal costing around $ 1.7bn .
Sustainable robotics , and fostering the future of STEM education Post-acquisition , Angle remains as iRobot ’ s CEO . Within this role – which he has held
20 April 2023