Roomba-Maker iRobot Clears Path For Robotics

Top scientists around the world are trying to improve upon robots, which can already detect bombs, perform surgery and even go into battle.

At iRobot Corp., they're trying to make a better vacuum.

Of course, iRobot's scientists do other things too. The company, best known for its Roomba floor vacuum, recently sent machines to Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster to help detect radiation, to the war zone in Afghanistan to find bombs, and to the Gulf of Mexico to locate spilled oil in the water.

But home robots — dominated by vacuums — make up 55 percent of the company's revenue and are part of the reason iRobot is on a tear. Shares are up 43 percent since the start of the year, and the company earned a profit of $26 million on sales of $401 million last year, up from $3 million on $299 million in revenue the year before.

Robotics Team Wins Praise at National Contest

MANIPAL: The eight-member robotics team of Manipal Insitute of Technology (MIT), RoboManipal, which took part in ROBOCON 2011 held in Pune recently, has a success story to tell despite failing at making it to the top slot.

The national event was organized under the auspices of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) at Belawadi stadium in Pune. The experience, though their first, came as a boost for the team and they are hopeful of a bigger opportunity in the future. They also hope to win the top slot in the next international event in 2012. This year, Robomanipal competed with teams that included those from IITs and other renowned institutes.