Todays robot vacuum cleaners are more intelligent that ever, they can map your home, use AI to get around and some can even empty themselves. But the path to such advanced robots has been a long one, spanning over two decades since the first products were invented. In this guide, we’ll break down the products history and some statistics about robot vacuum cleaner market today.
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The first robot vacuum cleaner was invented in 1996 and was called the Electrolux Trilobite. It ran on rechargeable batteries and had a remote control to operate.
It used ultrasonic radar to make its way around a room, as opposed to infrared or laser systems we know today. It was first shown on BBC’s tomorrows world in 1997 as shown in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0hkGUCmxy0
With roots in robots for the military and space exploration, iRobot was one of the pioneers of the modern-day robot vacuum with its Roomba line of devices. Colin Angle, co-founder of iRobot, said that the algorithm used in the Roomba was the same as the one used in mine hunting devices.
The first Roomba was launched in 2002, the range consisted of the Roomba, Roomba Pro and Roomba Pro Elite. It is widely seen as the first robot vacuum to achieve commercial success.
The term Roomba is often used interchangeable with the term robot vacuum cleaner. This is reminiscent of Hoover being used interchangeably for traditional vacuum cleaners.
Here is the most complete timeline that charts the history of the robot vacuum cleaner:
1962
Rosie the robot features in The Jetsons and would later become an icon for home automation
1962
1990
iRobot founded to focus on robotics for military and space exploration
1990
1996
Electrolux invented the first robot vacuum, the Electrolux Trilobite - see featured image
1996
1997
Electrolux Trilobite gained attention when it featured on BBC’s Tomorrows World
1997
2002
iRobot launched the Roomba which is widely seen as the first robot vacuum to find commercial success
2002
2004
iRobot has sold 1 million robot vacuum cleaners
2004
2005
iRobot launched the Scuba (which scrubbed hard floors)
2005
2005
Classic episode of Arrested Development with the robot vacuum (S2E14) - see clip on Youtube here
2005
2009
First patent for a self-emptying robot vacuum filed by iRobot
2009
2010
Neato launched it’s first vacuum, the XV-11, which was the first to have laser mapping
2010
2010
Evolution Robotics launched their first robot vacuum, the Mint
2010
2010
Robot Vacuum featured in American Dad (S5E12) - see on Youtube here
2010
2010
iRobot has sold 3 million robot vacuum cleaners
2010
2012
iRobot acquires major competitor Evolution Robotics
2012
2015
Roomba launch first connected robot vacuum with WiFi
2015
2016
Anker launches a smart home division, Eufy, and their first robot vacuum
2016
2016
Xiaomi announce their first robot vacuum, the Xiaomi Mi Robot (which would later become the Roborock brand)
2016
2018
Global market worth $5.6 billion1
2018
2018
Traditional vacuum manufacturer, Shark Ninja, launches first robot vacuum, Shark Ion Robot 750
2018
2019
Two of the biggest US robot vacuum brands, iRobot and Shark Ninja, try to sue each other2
2019
2020
iRobot claim to have sold more than 30 million robot vacuum cleaners worldwide3
2020
According to Grand View Research1, the robot vacuum cleaner market was worth $2.56 billion in 2019 (about £2billion) and is expected to grow by around 17.7% each year until 2027.
Asia pacific is the largest market for robot vacuum cleaners with a 36.2% share of the global market in 2019, and it is expected to grow at the fastest rate over the next 7 years1.
67.3% of consumers buy robot vacuum cleaners in store, compared to 32.7% buying online1.
We spend, on average, 40 hours a year vacuuming our homes4.
According to Google Trends, interest in robot vacuum cleaners has seen consistent growth over the last 5 years, with peaks each year around black Friday.
These are the top robot vacuum cleaner manufacturers in the world1:
According to Colin Angle, co-founder of iRobot, 25% of all money spent on vacuum cleaners is spent on robot vacuum cleaners.
Here are some facts and statistics specific to the robot vacuum cleaner market in the UK:
Sources:
Featured Image Credit: Patrik Tschudin / CC BY
