iRobot Pokes Its Head Out of the Gutter on Home Services

Oct

iRobot Pokes Its Head Out of the Gutter

posted by admin in Gutter Cleaning

What I did not expect was that iRobot’s new gutter cleaning robot, dubbed the Looj, would cost $99. At this price point, the technology actually makes some sense to me. It is affordable for most do-it-yourselfers, more economical than gutter caps such as Gutter Helmet, and only slightly more expensive than a one-time visit from the local handyman.

Now, I still don’t think that the Looj is a game-breaker. For starters, the device can’t yet handle corners and this means it is not quite the convenience or time-saver that one might have imagined. A user must still climb a ladder at least four times to position the robot to clear the gutters on each side of his house.

Nevertheless, I can see a number of professional gutter cleaners and handypersons buying the Looj because it will allow them to clean gutters faster, and thus make them that much more productive.

I have no idea how many people are in the business of cleaning gutters, but even if the number is modest, the Looj will have the advantage of being visible to people outside the home. And if people see a robot cleaning a gutter, it’s possible they might be more inclined to then try an iRobot Roomba or Scooba to sweep and mop their floors.