iRobot, a robot maker that sells floor cleaners as well as devices that defuse bombs, introduced on Wednesday a new line of vacuums in hopes of generating cash to invest in a wider range of products.
Two new models, the Roomba 530 and Roomba 560, were scheduled to start selling on iRobot’s Web site, Amazon.com and Home Shopping Network on Wednesday for $US250 ($NZ360) and $US399 ($NZ574).
The new models are more durable, have twice as much vacuum power and more sophisticated artificial intelligence technology than previous models.
iRobot has sold 2 million vacuum cleaners since it introduced its first machine almost five years ago.
Improvements include new anti-tangle technology to extract the robots from power cords, sensors that slow them down as they approach walls and beacons that guide them around the house
