"Rumba and robot making", which is said by Colin Angle of new home appliances IROBOT CEO.

　IROBOT's automatic robot vacuum cleaner "Rumba 700 Series" has been announced.The details of the product have already been reported on this site, but this time we will send you a single interview with CEO Colin Angle.

　Rumba is a pioneer in automatic robot vacuum cleaners, and in Japan, it is a hit item that has been selling well in Japan, increasing 237%year -on -year.This year, various manufacturers have entered the market, a follow -up product of Rumba.On the other hand, IROBOT has received a lot of attention on another side.This is because the multipurpose work robot "Packbot" was launched in the building for the convergence of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

　This time, Colin Angle, I heard what kind of thought about making robots.

■ I was also influenced by Gundam and Star Wars

-In press conference, etc., it is said that "IROBOT has been established to create a robot that is useful for real life."Anime and movies on robots are still popular.Have you ever been influenced by such things?

　For Japanese robot anime, "Gundam" and "Astro Boy", and American works are "Robocop" and "Star Wars".I have seen all such works.It is true that I was influenced by such a work as a starting point for me to be interested in robots.

　Above all, I was most influenced by Star Wars.However, it is not "R2-D2" or "C-3PO" that you know well.It is a mobile robot with black and round wheels in the Darth Vader battleship, Death Star (editor -in -paper, probably LIN Demonstration Meku, an autonomous martial lining device).

　When I saw it moving on the ground, I thought, "This robot is a practive! It's not a Hollywood so -called fantasy robot, so I can make it!"

――I heard that since the establishment of IROBOT in 1990, it was not all smooth sailing so far.Especially when the severe time continued until 2003 -but please tell us why you have continued to make robots.

　In fact, it wasn't always the deficit, and from 1990 to 1997, there was no profit, but no loss was issued.In the meantime, I continued to make various robots that I had requested, and this time I thought about what kind of robot to make, and it was a very exciting time.

　In 1998, a clear business idea that decided to decide on the subsequent IROBOT was born, and until 2003, it was always in the red.However, since then it has been in the black.The reason we continued to make robots during the deficit period was that we were convinced that home robots and government robots would be the core of the robot industry that will continue to grow in the future.

■ No functions do not need to be cleaned

―― Since the first model was released in 2002, Rumba has been consistently adopting a “circular+wheel” method, but why is Rumba sticking to its style and design?

　First, before we reached this combination of "circular+wheels", we tested various styles.Among them, I kept thinking about what the ability required for automatic robot vacuum cleaners needed.

　The first condition is that the cleaning power is high.Not picking up a lot of garbage is not worth a vacuum cleaner.Next, the second condition is that the entire floor can be moved and moved.Without such mobility, you cannot clean every corner.Furthermore, the third condition is that even if there are small steps or obstacles, it will not stop.As a result, it was decided that a round shape was an ideal type.

　If it is a round shape, it will not be trapped there even if it enters a square narrow space.And the reason for adopting two tires is the most suitable method for body control.If you move two left and right two tires back and forth, it is easy to flip on the spot, and it is easy to change direction.

　For example, I thought about adopting a caterpillar, etc., but it was found that the floor was easy to damage it, and it was eventually rejected.In addition, we had to take the garbage at the corner, so we took a method of stirring with a brush.The brush itself is soft and broken, so the vacuum cleaner itself has a round shape, but it can remove garbage on the corner, just like a square shape.

――Is there any idea to evolve Rumba on the contrary? For example, something like a wireless LAN connection between Rumba, PC and smartphone ...

　At present, connecting Rumba and the Internet with a wireless LAN does not seem to improve the suction power of Rumba much, so we do not think about developing Wi-Fi compatible rumba.

　Of course, connecting to the Internet may help the robot's on -off functions, or may be useful in places that are not related to cleaning, but the most important point we always focus on is the room.Is to clean clean.

　Evolution of the rumba must be related to cleaning the floor efficiently and neatly.Compatible with wireless or wireless LAN functions directly leads to the cost of Rumba.I think that the cost of additional costs is not worth the business in terms of business, and it is different to impose it to the user.That's why we don't have a function that does not lead to such direct cleaning power.

　If such functions are added in the future, there is no cost burden, or if you can find the advantage of significantly increasing suction power, it may be wireless LAN compatible.。

――IROBOT has announced various robots in addition to Rumba, such as “Packbot” for multipurpose work, a future butler robot “Aiba”, and “Scuba” and “Vero”.What is the flow of these robots and what kind of thoughts are commercialized? Is there a criterion for commercialization?

　First of all, any robot must be useful for human life, and no matter how good a robot is, it will not be commercialized unless it is useful for life.As I mentioned in the press conference, robots must be "dull, dirty, dangers (boring, insufficient, dangerous) work".

　IROBOT employees always propose a variety of robots, assuming that idea, to see if there would be such a robot.In other words, IROBOT robots are not consisting of one idea, but are created by many employees belonging to IROBOT.By the way, Rumba is no exception, and it was created with the idea of some engineers as the starting point.

■ Rumba and humans have a unique and happy relationship

――I hear that many people love Rumba like a pet, but what do you think the relationship between humans and robots will be in the future? For example, robots and humans are friends and lovers.Can you think that you will be together?

　It would be nice if robots and humans could become friends and lovers, but to be honest, what kind of relationship they would be in the future, and I don't know.However, even at present, there are various cases of relationships.For example, it has been uploaded to a video posting site "YouTube", but I hear that many people love Rumba like a pet and have attachment.

　Of course, many people have found value as a housework robot that purely helps housework.According to some data, about 80%of the purchased person calls the product under the name "Rumba".Also, when I bought a new rumba because I had an attachment, I heard that it was difficult to call a new rumba a "rumba".I would be glad if many users have a unique and happy relationship with Rumba, which they use themselves.

――IROBOT's robot is also known for being active in war or disaster.As I mentioned earlier, I think it's a good example of a robot releasing humans from dangerous scenes, while others say that robots are helping the war.It is more peaceful in the world to lose wars and disasters, but it is also true that robots need less.Do you feel something like a heart conflict as an IROBOT CEO for such contradictions?

　I think wars and disasters should be gone from this earth.Nowadays, many robots who play an active part in war and disasters are featured, but at the beginning of the IROBOT, they were making exploration robots.

　We are always trying to make robots towards the needs.Therefore, if you need it for a disaster or military use, you will make such a robot, but of course the needs for robots are not the only.I believe that the future will come in the future, including this Rumba, to make robots convenient for the lives of everyone.We believe that it will be the main in the future, rather than for disasters and military use, so there is no such thing as a heart conflict.