The folks at iRobot apparently have plenty of time on their hands. They created a prototype wireless, robotic vacuum cleaner...powered by a hamster running inside a spinning ball.
The rodent's movements with the ball are fed to and analyzed by a complex set of sensors, which then guide the actual vacuum device to mimic the animal's speed and direction.
You can see where this is going: it's a clever ploy to then get you to buy a second robot that would automatically feed, water, and clean up after the hamster in the first robot.
It's all here via YouTube.
It's probably an important way for iRobot scientists to cope with the company's grim just-ended fiscal year news: yearly revenues down by almost 25% and profits of $0.8 million compared with $9.1 million a year ago.
UPDATE: As a couple of readers at least pointed out, I fumbled. iRobot's yearly revenue actually INCREASED by nearly 25% compared to fiscal 2007. "Net income" (generally called "profit") did suffer that steep year-to-year decline, to $0.8 million from $9.1 million. But the iRobot release notes: "The 2007 quarterly and annual results include an $8.6 million tax benefit, largely associated with the release of deferred federal tax allowances, while the 2008 quarterly and annual results include $4.8 million and $0.4 million of tax expense, respectively." My apologies.
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Cox is a senior editor at Network World.
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So long as profits are still
So long as profits are still above zero, it's not so grim as some.
Powered or steered?
I bet that hamster is just steering the vacuum, not powering it.
Powere or steered?
That's a good question. It may indeed be the case that the hamster's movements are used to control the vacuum's direction and speed.
I've got a query into iRobot to find out.....
John W. Cox senior editor Network World
Suck harder! I can just
Suck harder!
I can just imagine it now: lawsuits from hamsters getting Pneumoconiosis.
Revenue and income are not
Revenue and income are not interchangeable. Your last paragraph is wrong.
Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 decreased 8.1 percent to $90.7 million, compared with $98.7 million for the same quarter one year ago. Revenue for the full year increased 23.5 percent to $307.6 million from $249.1 million for the full year 2007.
Financial Facts?
John, According to the press release you linked to:
"Revenue for the full year **increased** 23.5 percent to $307.6 million from $249.1 million for the full year 2007. "
And this bit explains the dramatic dip in profits was almost entirely due to a tax credit received in 2007:
"The 2007 quarterly and annual results include an $8.6 million tax benefit, largely associated with the release of deferred federal tax allowances, while the 2008 quarterly and annual results include $4.8 million and $0.4 million of tax expense, respectively."
So the financial outlook isn't nearly as grim as you lead us to believe.
Financial facts
I did indeed fumble on the financial facts. I've added an update to the original post. Thanks, and my apologies.
John W. Cox senior editor Network World
tomorrow we will take over the world
This sounds like a dangerous precident, have they not watched Pinky and the Brain!?
hehehe ... HACK IT!
dial up the speed settings on that and watch the hamster hit 20mph :D
If only they can do the same
If only they can do the same thing with a pooperscooper and my dog.
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