Evolution Robotics

Evolution Robotics was an American technology company headquartered in Pasadena, California. Its work focused on practical robotics technologies, particularly computer vision, indoor localization, and autonomous navigation. Rather than concentrating exclusively on complete consumer robots, the company developed software and navigation capabilities that could be incorporated into its own products and licensed to other robotics businesses. The company’s technology portfolio included navigation systems intended to help robots understand and move through indoor environments. Its NorthStar system used a dedicated navigation cube as a reference beacon, allowing a robot to determine its position and follow a planned cleaning route. This approach was applied in the company’s Mint line of floor-cleaning robots, which was designed for hard floors and combined dry dusting with wet mopping. Mint was differentiated from conventional robotic vacuum cleaners because it did not contain a vacuum motor. Instead, it moved a cleaning cloth across the floor, making it comparatively quiet but requiring the user to attach the cloth and prepare the robot before operation. Evolution Robotics also pursued technology partnerships and licensing relationships. The company cooperated with the University of Cambridge on vision research, and its software was licensed by the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology and Sony’s robotics division. Its technology was also used in WowWee robotic products, including Rovio, demonstrating a business model that extended beyond the company’s own branded hardware. In January 2010, Evolution Robotics released the original Mint cleaning robot. Mint used NorthStar for indoor navigation and could dust and wet-mop hard-surface floors. The product’s wet-mopping mode was designed for areas of approximately 93 square metres, while another stated operating figure was approximately 23 square metres. The original unit had limitations, including support for only one NorthStar navigation cube and the need for a user-attached cleaning cloth. Mint Plus followed on September 14, 2011. It improved the navigation system by supporting multiple NorthStar cubes and could resume cleaning at the location where an interrupted cleaning cycle had stopped. It also added an automatic cleaning-solution dispenser to help keep the cloth wet. One version included a docking station that served as a charging stand, although the robot still had to be placed on the dock manually. On September 17, 2012, iRobot acquired Evolution Robotics for $74 million. The acquisition brought Evolution Robotics’ navigation and floor-care technology into iRobot. In 2013, the Mint product line was rebranded as iRobot Braava. Evolution Robotics is therefore best understood as a defunct robotics technology company whose intellectual and product contributions continued through iRobot’s floor-mopping portfolio rather than as an independent operating brand.

Evolution Robotics developed robotics technologies in Pasadena, California, with a particular emphasis on computer vision, localization, and autonomous movement in indoor environments. Its work addressed a central challenge in consumer robotics: enabling a machine to determine where it is and navigate a structured space without continuous human control. The company combined research, software development, licensing, and branded hardware rather than limiting itself to a single robot category. The company cooperated with Cambridge University on vision-technology research. It also licensed software to the Korean Institute of Industrial Technology and Sony’s robotics division. Evolution Robotics’ technology appeared in third-party products from WowWee, including the Rovio robot, giving the company a role as a supplier of enabling robotics technology as well as a consumer-product maker. Its most visible branded product was Mint, a robotic cleaner for hard-surface floors. Released in January 2010, Mint could dust and wet-mop. Unlike a robotic vacuum, it did not use a vacuum motor, which made it relatively quiet but also meant that cleaning depended on a cloth being attached to the cleaning pad. Mint used the company’s NorthStar indoor-navigation system. A navigation cube acted as a beacon, allowing the robot to establish its position and follow a cleaning route. The initial model was limited to working with one cube at a time. Evolution Robotics expanded the concept with Mint Plus, released on September 14, 2011. The newer model supported multiple NorthStar cubes, enabling broader or more complex indoor coverage. It could also resume a cleaning task at the point where it had been interrupted. An automatic cleaning-solution dispenser helped maintain moisture on the cleaning cloth, and one configuration included a manually used docking station for charging. The company was acquired by iRobot on September 17, 2012, for $74 million. This transaction ended Evolution Robotics’ independent corporate identity while transferring its technology and product assets to iRobot. In 2013, Mint was rebranded as iRobot Braava, connecting Evolution Robotics’ floor-mopping work with iRobot’s established consumer-robotics portfolio. The company’s legacy consequently rests on both its navigation and vision technologies and the product lineage that continued under the Braava name.

• 2013

  Mint rebranded as iRobot Braava

  [1]Evolution Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  The Mint floor-cleaning product line continued under the iRobot Braava name.

• 2012

  Acquisition by iRobot

  [1]Evolution Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  iRobot acquired Evolution Robotics for $74 million on September 17, ending its operation as an independent company.

• 2011

  Mint Plus launches

  [1]Evolution Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Mint Plus introduced multiple-cube NorthStar support, interrupted-cleaning resumption, an automatic cleaning-solution dispenser, and a charging-dock option.

• 2010

  Mint launches

  [1]Evolution Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Evolution Robotics released Mint, a hard-floor cleaning robot that dusted and wet-mopped while using the NorthStar system for indoor navigation.

Applied robotics technology for indoor localization, autonomous navigation, computer vision, and quiet hard-floor cleaning.

• Robotic floor cleaner · 2010

  Mint

  Mint was a hard-floor cleaning robot released in January 2010. It performed dry dusting and wet mopping rather than vacuuming, using a replaceable cleaning cloth attached to its cleaning pad. The robot used NorthStar indoor navigation, with a navigation cube serving as a positional beacon. Its lack of a vacuum motor made it relatively quiet, but the need to prepare and attach a cloth meant that it was not fully autonomous in operation.

• Robotic floor cleaner · 2011

  Mint Plus

  Mint Plus was the second-generation floor-cleaning robot released in September 2011. It supported multiple NorthStar navigation cubes, allowing it to work across a larger or more complex indoor area, and could resume a cleaning task where it had stopped. The product added an automatic cleaning-solution dispenser, while one version included a charging dock that had to be used manually.

• Indoor navigation system

  NorthStar

  NorthStar was Evolution Robotics’ indoor localization and navigation technology. It used a dedicated cube as a beacon so a robot could determine its position and navigate through an interior space. The system was central to the Mint product family and represented the company’s broader focus on autonomous navigation software and robotics infrastructure.

• 2012

  Sell the company to iRobotM&A

  Background

  Evolution Robotics had developed navigation, localization, and floor-cleaning technology, while iRobot operated a larger consumer-robotics business.

  Action taken

  iRobot acquired Evolution Robotics on September 17, 2012.

  Aftermath

  Evolution Robotics ceased to operate as an independent company, and its Mint line was later rebranded as iRobot Braava in 2013.

  Acquisition consideration. $74 million (September 17, 2012)

  Source

1. 1Evolution Roboticsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Evolution Robotics website archive referenceevolution.com