Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) said it will acquire iRobot, which makes home cleaning robots like the Roomba, for an all-cash deal valued at US$1.7bn.
The company was founded in 1990, spun out of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, with the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner launched in 2002, which sold over 30mln units in 2020.
Co-founder Colin Angle remains on board as chief executive.
Amazon will pay US$61 per share, including iRobot's net debt, with the transaction subject to customary closing conditions, including shareholder approval and regulatory approval.
"Since we started iRobot, our team has been on a mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers’ lives easier, leading to inventions like the Roomba and iRobot OS," said Angle in a statement.
Amazon, too, has aggressively pursued robotics in the decade since it acquired Kiva Systems, though its Robotics division is primarily focused on warehouse and fulfillment.
Through Roomba's integration of Alexa functionality and use of Amazon Web Services servers, Amazon said it and iRobot have developed an increasingly close relationship over the past few years.
Astro, a 'cheerful' robot not entirely focused on cleaning, was launched recently by Amazon.
