The new collaboration between iRobot and Google appears to have intrigued shareholders.
A Closer Look At What Transpired
iRobot Corporation is an advanced technology company based in America. The company was founded in 1990 by three MIT graduates who designed robots for space exploration and military defense. We've seen the company designing and building consumer robots for inside and outside of the home, including a range of autonomous home vacuum cleaners (Roomba), floor moppers, and other autonomous cleaning devices
The company shares jumped on Wednesday after finalizing the trading day up 9.2%.
But what we know is that the stock's gain followed an announcement of a collaboration between Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google and iRobot to integrate robotic and smart home technologies.
iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaners have a technology that maps the floor plan of a home. This capability enables the user to issue commands to the robot so that it can clean a certain room using voice commands to a smart speaker or smartphone applications.
Google also intends to deploy iRobot's Imprint Smart Mapping Technology in creating room-based controls for other gadgets. This will have a significantly huge impact that will enable users to control features such as stereo systems, connected lighting, and thermostats.
What This Means
The partnership between iRobot and Google was already thriving, technologies from both companies were used in the development of the Roomba vacuums. Google Assistant helped users issue commands to the vacuums. However, the new collaboration will take the partnership to the next level.
"Working together, iRobot and Google will seek additional ways to integrate their platforms, providing customers with the choice to opt into new innovative smart home experiences that leverage a broader understanding of the home's space," iRobot said in a press release about the two companies' plans to collaborate. "For example, the spatial awareness of the home that Roomba maintains may help to simplify smart home setup and enable powerful new automation."
The other contributing factor that might be responsible for the rise in iRobot's stock is the rise of the overall stock market in the tech sector.
What's Next?
Although the details of the collaboration are unclear, there's a likelihood that the partnership will lead to new ways to control and interact with iRobot devices. This can be done through the use of smart assistants, as well as new features for Google's smart assistants. IRobot's spatial awareness technology can easily make this happen.
"We're excited to be exploring with iRobot how its unique spatial awareness technology can work with the Assistant to offer customers a more intuitive and personalized experience in their homes," said Google Smart Home Ecosystem director Michele Turner.
This will greatly help iRobot to fortify its lead in consumer cleaning robots by providing customers with a profound experience.
