Neato Botvac™ Connected Now Works with Amazon Alexa

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Neato extends leadership in the smart home, control your Botvac Connected through Alexa

 Newark, CA—November 22, 2016—Neato Robotics, leaders in smart robots for the home, today announced the award-winning Neato Botvac™ Connected is the first Neato robot vacuum that can be controlled via the Alexa voice service using devices like the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot.

amazon-alexa

“Neato’s innovation is a huge leap forward for the smart home. Alexa-enabled Botvac Connected advances Neato’s vision of SmartLife™ —where using the latest technology to make your life easier is the clear path to smart living,” said Giacomo Marini, Chairman and CEO of Neato Robotics.

The smart home is quickly catching on with consumers as many see the convenience of an intelligent connected device through which they can manage their home. For example, Alexa is able to assist users with everything from turning off lights to ordering a pizza. With the Neato Botvac Connected integration, Alexa can now voice-control the Neato robot vacuum. All it takes is a simple voice command – ‘Alexa, ask Neato to start cleaning’ – and it’s done. Doing simple tasks is just the first step.

The possibilities are endless. Today, if the Neato Botvac Connected is already vacuuming your floors, and you get a phone call, just say ‘Alexa, ask Neato to pause cleaning’—and give a resume cleaning command once you are off the phone.  The combination of Neato and Alexa means you can keep doing what you are doing and voice command your Botvac Connected at the same time so it fits into your SmartLife.

 About Neato Botvac Connected

Neato’s first official collaboration with Amazon Alexa is now available. The Botvac Connected robot vacuum, which can be controlled via Alexa voice service, is the most powerful Neato robot to date. To take advantage of this new Alexa skill, launch the Alexa app on your smartphone and select Smart Home from the left hand navigation menu, Get More Smart Home Skills and search for ‘Neato’. A Neato Botvac Connected is required, as well as an Alexa-enabled device such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.

Neato Botvac Connected includes the company’s patented Neato LaserSmart™ technology that combines laser scanning, continuous room mapping and real time object detection to plan the most efficient course to clean a home. This means Neato alters its navigation instantly when a new obstacle enters its path. Intelligent navigation, even in the dark, as it moves room to room, and knows when to return to its base for recharging — and then automatically goes back to where it left off to finish the job. The Neato robots’ iconic D-shape design and CornerClever™ technology allows it to get close to walls and deep into corners. With one of the largest brushes and dirt bins on the market, Neato covers more square footage and picks up more debris than any other robot vacuum.

Availability

All existing and new Botvac Connected customers will have access to the Amazon Alexa skill today in the US and in the coming weeks in the UK and later this year in Germany.

About Neato

Neato Robotics designs robots for the home to improve consumers’ lives, allowing them to spend less time doing household chores and more time on the things they love. Neato SmartLife™ is about the intersection of humans and robots in today’s digital world enabling consumers to get back the most valuable thing that exists: more time. Neato drives innovation with intelligent laser navigation, smart home connectivity, and superior cleaning technologies. For more information, visit: www.neatorobotics.com.

iRobot CFO to Speak at NASDAQ 35th Investor Program

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BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in consumer home robotics products, today announced that Alison Dean, iRobot’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, will discuss the company’s achievements and financial outlook on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at 6:30 a.m. ETat the NASDAQ 35th Investor Program being held in London.

iRobot logo

The presentation will be accessible live on iRobot’s investor relations website at http://investor.irobot.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=193096&p=irol-EventDetails&EventId=5242247 and for 90 days thereafter.

About iRobot Corp.
iRobot designs and builds robots that empower people to do more. The company’s home robots help people find smarter ways to clean and accomplish more in their daily lives. iRobot’s portfolio of solutions features proprietary technologies for the connected home and advanced concepts in navigation, mobility and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.

Botvac Connected lässt sich per Sprachsteuerung durch Alexa kontrollieren

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Newark, CA / München, 22. November 2016 – Neato Robotics, einer der weltweit innovativsten Hersteller von smarten Haushaltsrobotern, hat heute angekündigt, dass der mehrfach ausgezeichnete Neato Botvac™ Connected als erster Roboterstaubsauger von Neato jetzt auch mit der digitalen Sprachassistentin Alexa von Amazon gesteuert werden kann. Die Anweisungen werden über die stationären Lautsprecher Echo und Echo Dot ausgegeben.

amazon-alexa
„Die Innovationen von Neato lassen das Smart Home Realität werden. Der Botvac Connected mit Alexa-Unterstützung manifestiert unsere Vision des SmartLife™ – der Weg zum Smart Living führt über modernste Technologien, die das Leben einfacher machen sollen“, erklärt Giacomo Marini, Chairman und CEO von Neato Robotics.
Das Smart Home wird für Konsumenten ein immer relevanteres Thema, denn sie erkennen die Vorzüge intelligent vernetzter Geräte, mit denen sie ihr Zuhause verwalten können. Alexa zum Beispiel hilft dabei, auf Zuruf das Licht auszuschalten oder eine Pizza zu bestellen. Jetzt kann Alexa auch den Neato Botvac Connected per Sprachsteuerung dirigieren. Dafür braucht es nur einen Sprachbefehl wie „Alexa, sag Neato bitte, dass er mit dem Staubsaugen beginnen soll“ – und schon erledigt. Einfache Dinge zu tun, ist erst der Anfang.
Die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten sind unerschöpflich. Wenn der Neato Botvac Connected bereits am Saugen ist und das Telefon klingelt, reicht die Ansage „Alexa, bitte sag Neato, dass er eine Pause machen soll“ – nach dem Telefonat einfach wieder den Befehl zum Weitermachen geben. Das Zusammenspiel von Neato und Alexa macht es möglich, andere Dinge zu tun und gleichzeitig den Botvac Connected via Sprache zu steuern – und damit dem Ziel des SmartLife näher zu kommen.

Der Neato Botvac Connected
Die Unterstützung von Amazon Alexa ist sofort bei Neato verfügbar. Der via Alexa Sprachsteuerung kontrollierbare Botvac Connected ist der aktuell leistungsfähigste Roboterstaubsauger von Neato. Um die Vorteile der neuen Alexa Skill nutzen zu können, muss nur die Alexa App auf dem Smartphone gestartet werden. „Smart Home“ im Navigationsmenü auf der linken Seite auswählen, dann „Get More Smart Home Skills“ und anschließend „Neato“ suchen. Neben dem Neato Botvac Connected ist ein Alexa-fähiges Gerät wie Amazon Echo oder Echo Dot erforderlich.
Dank der patentierten LaserSmart™-Technologie scannt der Botvac Connected den Raum und teilt ihn in Reinigungsquadrate, um ihn anschließend systematisch zu reinigen. Auf diese Weise wird jeder Raum kartiert, sodass sämtliche Möbel, Durchgänge sowie Treppen von erfasst werden. Die Kombination aus Laser Scanning, Room Mapping sowie einer Echtzeit-Hinderniserkennung garantieren eine effiziente sowie gründliche Reinigung. Sollte sich dem Roboterstaubsauger plötzlich ein Hindernis in den Weg stellen, wird dieses anhand der Echtzeit-Raumerkennung sogar im Dunkeln erkannt und sofort umfahren. Gepaart mit der einzigartigen D-Form des Neato und der CornerClever™-Technologie wird das Kraftpaket zum unentbehrlichen Helfer im Haushalt. Durch sein Design gelangt er problemlos in alle Ecken des Raumes und fährt besonders nah an den Wänden entlang. Dank der extra großen Bürsten und des großen Schmutzbehälters schafft der Neato Botvac Connected in einem Reinigungszyklus mehr Quadratmeter als jeder andere Roboterstaubsauger.
Verfügbarkeit
Alle aktuellen und neuen Besitzer eines Botvac Connected haben Zugriff auf die Amazon Alexa Skill – in den USA und Großbritannien sofort und in Deutschland Ende des Jahres.

Über Neato Robotics:
Neato Robotics mit Sitz im Silicon Valley, Kalifornien, wurde 2009 mit dem Ziel gegründet, Roboter zu entwickeln, die Hausarbeit so intelligent wie Menschen erledigen. Neato arbeitet an der Verbesserung der Zeitersparnis der Verbraucher, sodass weniger Zeit für Reinigung und dafür mehr Zeit mit Familie und Freunden zur Verfügung steht. Mit seinen Staubsaugrobotern bietet Neato innovative Produkte, die intelligenter, leistungsfähiger und effektiver sind als andere auf dem Markt erhältliche Staubsaugroboter.
Weitere Informationen zu den neuen Modellen sowie zu weiteren Geräten der Neato-Familie erhalten Sie hier: www.neatorobotics.com/de

iRobot Acquires Japanese Distribution Business from Sales on Demand Corporation

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BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a
leader in consumer home robotics products, today announced that it has signed
a definitive agreement to acquire the iRobot-related distribution business of
privately-held Sales On Demand Corporation (SODC) based in Tokyo, Japan. The
acquisition is expected to close in April 2017.

The acquisition will better enable iRobot to maintain its leadership position
and accelerate the growth of its business in Japan through direct control of
pre- and post-sales market activities including sales, marketing, branding,
channel relationships and customer service.

SODC has been iRobot’s exclusive distribution partner in Japan since 2004 and
is well respected by top channel partners. The SODC team has been instrumental
in establishing iRobot as the leading consumer robotics brand among Japanese
consumers and maintaining significant market share in an increasingly
competitive region.

Japan is a key strategic country for iRobot, given its status as the largest
consumer robotics market outside of North America. iRobot will appoint a new
president & general manager for Japan who will report directly to iRobot’s COO
Christian Cerda, and assume day-to-day operational responsibility for all
market activities in Japan.

„Forward integration in Japan is a strategic step for iRobot as a leading
global consumer technology company. The Japanese distribution model served us
well in establishing our initial presence and brand in the region, catapulting
iRobot to the market leading position. As the dynamics of the robotic floor
care segment evolve in Japan, we believe iRobot itself is better positioned to
drive increased adoption and continue market leadership in that region. We are
honored to have the SODC distribution team join the iRobot family as we take
the next step on our journey,“ said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot.

iRobot will acquire the business for a cash amount equal to the book value of
the acquired assets at close, primarily inventory, estimated to be between
$14M-$16M, subject to exchange rates in effect on the date of acquisition. The
acquisition is expected to contribute incremental revenue of approximately
$20-25 million in 2017 and to expand gross margin despite the required
one-time, inventory fair value accounting adjustment. On a GAAP basis, iRobot
expects the acquisition to be between $0.25-0.35 dilutive in 2017, subject to
final purchase price accounting adjustments, one time charges and acquisition
costs. The acquisition will result in incremental revenue, gross margin and
profit in 2018 and beyond. We will provide more information on the acquisition
impact on our financials in conjunction with our earnings call in February.

About iRobot Corp.
iRobot designs and builds robots that empower people to do more. The company’s
home robots help people find smarter ways to clean and accomplish more in
their daily lives. iRobot’s portfolio of solutions features proprietary
technologies for the connected home and advanced concepts in navigation,
mobility and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot,
please visit www.irobot.com.

Revolutionizing Consumer Technology: a Robot that Doubles as a Self Moving Suitcase

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Technology is rapidly evolving and changing the way that we go about living our daily lives. We’re living in an era were phones are able to do thousands of different things and cars can drive by themselves. Yet for all of this innovation, traveling and carrying things with you has remained relatively the same over the last couple of decades. Luggage hasn’t benefited from the rapid technological advances of the 21st century.

That is until now. Travelmate is a new type of robot that doubles as an affordable self moving suitcase. It moves by itself and thinks for itself thanks to a variety of sensors and integrated artificial intelligence. It’s fully autonomous, meaning that it moves on its own through all types of terrain. Travelmate easily navigates through crowds, uneven environments and other obstacles.

This robot doesn’t need any extra accessories and uses your smartphone’s location to follow you around. It adjusts to your speed and can go up to 6.75 mph, so it’ll never be far behind. It also has LED indicators which will show you where it’s planning to go.

David Near, Travelmate’s CEO, says that, “one of our top priorities is to make sure that Travelmate is as secure as possible”. That’s why you can see exactly where it is at all times through the Travelmate app on your smartphone. If someone else wants to take your Travelmate, it will sense that it isn’t following you anymore and will lock its wheels, which will prevent it from being moved. You can also activate audible alarms through the Travelmate app. These security features mean that it’s virtually impossible to lose it.

Travelmate has plenty of features. It has managed to re-invent the wheel – literally. Travelmate uses unique omni wheels that allow for precise adjustments in movement. It has such an incredible range of movement that it can turn 360 degrees without moving from its place.

You can tell your Travelmate to follow you from the side, from the front or from the back through the Travelmate application.

Travelmate is an autonomous suitcase, but it’s also the first affordable all purpose robot. It has the potential for hundreds of features and real world applications. It can be a camera operator, security robot, or a robot companion. There’s no limit to the potential that Travelmate has.

That’s in large part due to the team behind this one of a kind suitcase. Travelmate Robotics was formed as a separate company to launch consumer robots at an affordable price point. They’ve been developing Travelmate for over a year before officially announcing it. Their team consists of developers who have been manufacturing autonomous commercial robots for 8 years. They include robotics specialists, designers and even people who’ve worked on prototypes for space exploration rovers.

So it’s no wonder why Travelmate is so innovative and unique. You can pre-order a Travelmate right now through indiegogo at a starting price point of 399$. However, this price might not last long, because distributors are already in contact with Travelmate Robotics.

Distributors in more than 30 countries are already in negotiations to carry their suitcase in their stores. What that means is that pre ordering now may be your only chance to get one at such a low price. David Near says that, “we’re very happy that investors and distributors have expressed interest in our company. We are always open towards new partnerships and proposals”.

In any case, traveling is about to get a whole lot easier. Technology is constantly moving us forward and Travelmate is at the forefront of that.

https://igg.me/at/travelmate/x/4781251

LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 – Project „Mak3rBot“

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The Mak3rBot is a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot that consists of 3D printed Parts. The design is based on Damien Kees RileyRover / Joe Menos Retailrover as this design only needs a few parts. All parts were printed on a Vellemann k8200 3D printer. Most of the parts could be found on Thingiverse, some needed to be exported from Ldraw/LeoCAD. The LEGO ActionCam Camera mount has been designed by Andy Milluzzi. The mission of this robot is to travel to Maker Faires and share the #MINDSTORMSMAGIC with the makers around the world and show them that it is possible to combine LEGO with your maker hobby and create your own parts and robots.

The pictures were taken at Legoworld Utrecht 2016. The Mak3rbot robot and pictures were made by me, Sebastian Trella. Feel free to share pictures or contact me if you need more information or help with creating your own robot.

Mini Maker Faire Köln 2016

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RoboCup German Open im kommenden Jahr wieder in Magdeburg

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RoboCup Saison 2017 beginnt – Anmeldungen ab sofort möglich

Die RoboCupper kommen wieder: Die RoboCup German Open werden im nächsten Jahr erneut in Magdeburg stattfinden. Vom 5. bis 7. Mai 2017 ist die Landeshauptstadt bereits zum siebten Mal Gastgeber für dieses internationale Robotikturnier. Die zentrale Online-Anmeldung ist ab sofort unter www.robocupgermanopen.de möglich.

„Wir wollen Magdeburg weiter als Wissenschaftsstadt positionieren und dabei helfen uns auch die RoboCup German Open, für die wir gern wieder Gastgeber sind“, sagt Oberbürgermeister Dr. Lutz Trümper und lädt alle Interessierten in die Ottostadt ein. „Magdeburg freut sich auch im siebten Jahr auf die zahlreichen Teams und Akteure, die unsere Messehallen im kommenden Frühjahr erneut für einige Tage in eine Arena für Roboter verwandeln.“

Zu den RoboCup German Open werden rund 1.000 Schülerinnen und Schüler sowie Studierende, Forscher und Wissenschaftler aus dem In- und Ausland erwartet. Die Wettbewerbe dienen den Wissenschaftlern und Studenten als publikumswirksames Testfeld zur Demonstration der Fähigkeiten heutiger Roboter. Es wird zwischen RoboCup Major, dem Wettbewerb der Wissenschaftler, und RoboCup Junior, dem Nachwuchswettbewerb, unterschieden. RoboCup Major ist das inspirierende Forschungs- und Vernetzungsumfeld für internationale Forscherteams, RoboCup Junior der attraktive Wettbewerb für technikbegeisterte Schüler.

Anmeldungen unter www.robocupgermanopen.de Anmeldungen für die RoboCup German Open sind seit heute möglich. Da die Anzahl der aktiven Schülerteams in den vergangenen Jahren stark angestiegen ist, müssen sich die bundesweit über 460 Teams im Nachwuchswettbewerb RoboCup Junior zunächst in regionalen Vorturnieren für eine Teilnahme in Magdeburg qualifizieren. Im Frühjahr 2017 finden sechs Qualifikationsturniere statt: in der Universität Hannover (6. bis 8. Februar 2017), in der Hochschule Mannheim (11. und 12. Februar 2017), im Kulturzentrum Vöhringen (18. und 19. Februar 2017), in der Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (18. und 19. Februar 2017), in der kooperativen Gesamtschule Rastede (8. bis 10. März 2017) und in der Urania Berlin (11. und 12. März 2017).

Wer sich bei einem dieser Turniere qualifiziert, trifft beim Finale im Mai in Magdeburg auf die besten RoboCup Junior Teams aus ganz Deutschland. Dort werden die deutschen Meister in den drei Disziplinen OnStage, Rescue und Soccer ermittelt. Die Besten qualifizieren sich zudem für eine Teilnahme an der RoboCup- Weltmeisterschaft, die 2017 im japanischen Nagoya stattfindet.

Die Online-Anmeldung für die RoboCup-Junior-Qualifikationsturniere 2017 ist bis zum 30. November 2016 möglich. Die internationalen Teams aus dem RoboCup-Major-Bereich haben etwas mehr Zeit. Sie können sich bis zum 15. Dezember anmelden. Die Registrierung ist ausschließlich unter https://robocupgermanopen.de möglich. Dort stehen auch alle weiteren Informationen zu den sechs Qualifikationsturnieren und zu den RoboCup German Open 2017 in Magdeburg zur Verfügung.

Die Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg ist seit 2010 Gastgeber für die RoboCup German Open, eine der größten europäischen Robotikveranstaltungen. Die Magdeburger Robotik-Teams schneiden außerdem bei den internationalen Wettkämpfen sehr gut ab. So errangen in diesem Jahr bei der RoboCup-Weltmeisterschaft in Leipzig gleich zwei Teams des Werner- von-Siemens-Gymnasiums Weltmeister-Titel in der Junior-Kategorie Rescue Maze. Das Team robOTTO der Otto-von-Guericke Universität nahm erfolgreich in der Forscherliga RoboCup@Work teil und erreichte den vierten Rang.

Die Unternehmen HARTING KGaA, MathWorks, MICRO-EPSILON MESSTECHNIK GmbH & Co. KG, PHOENIX CONTACT GmbH & Co. KG, regiocom GmbH und der Arbeitgeberverband Gesamtmetall im Rahmen der Initiative think ING haben bereits ihre Unterstützung der RoboCup German Open in Magdeburg zugesagt.

RoboCup German Open 2017: Call for Participation

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RoboCup German Open 2017

Call for Participation

https://www.robocupgermanopen.de

5 – 7 May 2017
MESSE MAGDEBURG, Germany

The RoboCup German Open 2017 will be the 15th open RoboCup
competition held in Germany. The event will take place in Magdeburg
at MESSE MAGDEBURG.

— RoboCup Major Leagues (international teams) ———————-

Competitions are offered in the following leagues:

– RoboCupSoccer Standard Platform League
– RoboCupSoccer Humanoid League (Kid-Size)
– RoboCupRescue Robot League
– RoboCup@Home League
– RoboCupIndustrial Logistics League
– RoboCupIndustrial RoboCup@Work League

The registration deadline is *** 15 December 2016 ***.

Visit http://www.robocupgermanopen.de to register your RoboCup Major
League team. Details on the registration (fee, accommodation, rules)
are available on the web site. Booking of blocked accommodation with
special rates is possible after your registration.

The Major Leagues Organising Committee:
– Thomas Röfer (Standard Platform League)
– Reinhard Gerndt (Humanoid League)
– Johannes Pellenz (Rescue Robot League)
– Sven Wachsmuth (RoboCup@Home League)
– Ulrich Karras (Logistics League)
– Sebastian Zug (RoboCup@Work League)

— RoboCup Junior —————————————————-

The German RoboCup Junior qualification for RoboCup 2017 is performed
in two steps. German teams qualify in six local tournaments in Berlin,
Hannover, Mannheim, Rastede, Sankt Augustin and Vöhringen for the
17th German RoboCup Junior Championship which is held within the
RoboCup German Open 2017. The best Junior teams will qualify for
RoboCup 2017 in Japan.

— Important dates ————————————————–

15.12.2016 Registration deadline RoboCup Major teams
15.02.2017 Registration deadline team members with names
15.04.2017 Registration fee due
03.05.2017 Set-up day Major League teams
04.05.2017 Set-up day Major League teams
05.05.2017 Competition day (open to public)
06.05.2017 Competition day (open to public)
07.05.2017 Competition day, finals (open to public)

Please contact [email protected] for any questions.

See you all again at the 15th RoboCup German Open 2017!

iRobot To Host Analyst Day

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BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, announced today it will host an invitation only Analyst Day on November 10, 2016 in Boston from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The day’s agenda includes presentations by Colin Angle, iRobot’s chairman & chief executive officer, Alison Dean, executive vice president and chief financial officer, and other senior executives. A webcast of the event will be available live on the Investor Relations section of the company’s web site at http://investor.irobot.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=193096&p=irol-EventDetails&EventId=5242525and for 180 days thereafter.

iRobot logo.

About iRobot Corp.
iRobot designs and builds robots that empower people to do more. The company’s home robots help people find smarter ways to clean and accomplish more in their daily lives. iRobot’s portfolio of solutions features proprietary technologies for the connected home and advanced concepts in navigation, mobility and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.