“Drunk” Roomba Robots Aimlessly Roam Homes Amid Major Software Glitch   

Here’s an instance where smart internet of things (IoT) automation devices are miserably failing. Users on Reddit and other forms of social media are reporting their iRobot Roomba vacuums are experiencing navigation issues, with some users comparing their expensive robo-vaccums’ behavior to that of a “drunk.”

“iRobot what’s up with the 3.12.8 release? My tickets were closed and I wasn’t rolled back. These robots looks drunk since the update. Mounting complaints in the forums continue. Some folks who were rolled back got rolled forward and the issues came back. HELP!,” tweeted Anthony Virtuoso. 

YouTuber Garrett McGrath uploaded a video titled “Drunk roomba, useless firmware” that shows the robo-vacuum wandering around the room, performing useless tasks. At the end of the video, the robot fails to dock at its charging station. 

“irobot published a firmware recently that may as well have turned these things into paperweights. the ‘fix’ is to delete all your maps, reseat the robot a bunch of times, factory reset it after that, reboot it a few more times, and start over entirely with pairing it again. Just to the machine work for two weeks then return to this state, “McGratg explained in the video’s description.

The Verge reports that iRobot’s latest software updates for i7 and s9 Roomba models have faulty “firmware updates have been causing navigation issues.” According to that report, new software updates could be rolled out “over the next several weeks.” 

One Reddit user records a timelapse video of their i7 failing to dock. 

These robots cost anywhere from $600 to $900 per unit – these domestic help robo-cleaners under the IoT umbrella are supposed to improve our lives though that doesn’t appear to be the case here.