Roomba (iRobot) Growth Playbook

The founders (MIT roboticists) realized that 'Cleaning the Floor' was one of the most hated, repetitive tasks in the world, and that the only way to make a robot successful in the home was to make it 'Self-Sufficient' and affordable.

The 'Set-and-Forget' Convenience Moat & The 'Emotional-Anthropomorphism' Loop: Roomba tacticaly won by 'Becoming a Member of the Family'. Their growth engine is 'Autonomous Navigation'—letting the robot decide the path while the user does nothing. By focusing on 'Pet Hair' as a primary marketing hook, they tapped into a high-intent, high-spending demographic. Their growth relies on 'The Mapping-Data' moat—using advanced sensors to build digital maps of the home, which enhances the vacuuming performance and creates a strategic 'Spatial Knowledge' barrier that new competitors find impossible to replicate.