Mopping up robots for smart homes

Colin Angle-led iRobot is betting big on connected service devices as China 'has very good advantages'

iRobot, a US-based manufacturer of consumer robots, is planning to make China the largest market for its autonomous home vacuum cleaners by 2022 as the country's vast middle class chases quality products that can save on time spent on chores.

iRobot, led by Colin Angle, its chairman, CEO and founder, has already sold more than 15 million home robots worldwide. A scientist by training, Angle made a six-legged autonomous walking robot called Genghis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of his master's degree course project work.