iRobot Built a Transformer Vacuum That Deploys a Mini-Me to Clean Under Your Couch

BERLIN—iRobot is delivering true innovation at IFA with a concept robot vacuum that blew my mind.

Called the Roomba Duo, it's really two robots in one, with some pretty amazing functionality. During a demo, I watched it roll over and suck up a pile of spaghetti on the floor like it was nothing, then wash the carpet where the pasta had been. That's not all. It then used a mechanical arm to deploy a smaller robot that had been tucked into a compartment on top of the main unit.

The mechanical arm works similarly to the company's retractable mopping system from earlier models like the Roomba Combo 10 Max . Except instead of a mop, it lowers a whole other robot to the floor: the Roomba Plus 575 Combo, introduced earlier this year. It was an amazing feat of engineering to see in action, one that has to involve some serious counterbalancing.

I then watched the nimble Roomba Plus 575 Combo traverse a 1.3-inch threshold without missing a beat.

"The benefit of this is you've got the main unit for larger spaces and heavy-duty messes, while the companion unit does all of the smaller, tighter spaces," a Roomba spokeswoman told me. "And they work together with our app."

For instance, you could send the smaller unit to clean under the sofa while the main unit cleans a food mess on the kitchen floor.

The Roomba Duo is just a concept at this point, and iRobot has no plans to bring it to market any time soon.

"It's just to show where we could see the category going, but not at the moment," the spokeswoman said.

Even though Duo won't be hitting living rooms, it's still a cool peek into where smart homes are headed. By taking on two of the biggest headaches in cleaning—tackling huge, heavy-duty messes and squeezing under low furniture—iRobot is showing us how we'll all keep our houses clean ten years down the road.

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