In all, the cleaning process takes five stages. First, an airjet blows foreign objects to a "cereal port," or vacuum. "It is powerful enough to sweep up Cheerios or dried pasta," Angle said. Second, two fluid jets squirt out cleaning fluid and water. Next, a mustache broom spreads the fluids evenly to help absorb dirt.
Scrubbing brushes then try to eliminate particles. In the fifth stage, the dirty water is sucked up into a separate liquid chamber with the help of a squeegee.
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The idea to develop a device for hard floors came from customer feedback. After they'd buy the Roomba, customers would tell the company that "what I really, really need help on is scrubbing my floors," Angle said.
More domestic robots may follow. "What I want is something that will fold my laundry," said Angle.
Hopefully iRobot won't turn into a pumpkin come midnight...
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