Robotics company Trifo activates A.I.-based Ironpie robo-vacuum at CES 2019

By Bruce Brown January 11, 2019

Trifo launches next-gen AI robot vacuum Ironpie at CES 2019

Trifo may have given the Ironpie robot vacuum a whimsical name, but the home robotics company cast whimsy aside when it described the A.I.-based vac’s features and benefits at the Ironpie launch at CES.

According to Trifo, the Ironpie does everything better than comparable premium robot vacuums at a much lower price.

More CES 2019 coverage

“Ironpie represents a new generation of home robots, a smart robot vacuum that cleans faster, protects furniture better, is controllable from anywhere and with a host of features that improve on the original home vacuum concept,” said Trifo CEO Zhe Zhang. “We will continuously introduce enhanced intelligence and new features, such as Alexa and Google Home integration in the first half of 2019, to make Ironpie the essential smart home robot.”

The Ironpie’s core technical features pair an ARMv8 quad-core processor with the company’s proprietary Trifo Intelligent Robotics Vision System (TIRVS). The vacuum’s suite of sensors continuously tracks position and orientation in real time. With its accumulated position-tracking data, the Ironpie creates a 3D map of the home. Trifo patented the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) system.

The result of the robot vac’s intelligent use of position data, according to Trifo, is at least 10 percent more efficient at cleaning compared to robot vacuums with comparable features. The Ironpie uses a zigzag route that the manufacturer claims helps the vacuum identify areas yet to be cleaned so it can reposition and clean an entire area quickly.

1 of 3

trifo ironpie robot vacuum ces 2019 black m6 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

trifo ironpie robot vacuum ces 2019 white m6 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

trifo ironpie robot vacuum ces 2019 black — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Onboard infrared and sonar sensors help the Ironpie avoid obstacles in areas with mixed light levels, which in turn protects furniture. The sensors have “cliff detection” so the vacuum won’t fall down stairs.

According to Trifo, the Ironpie smartphone app that manages the robot vacuum can also serve as a remote surveillance utility. A VGA (640 x 480 resolution) video camera mounted on the Ironpie’s top surface. The smartphone app lets users “see” what the Ironpie’s camera sees to monitor everywhere the robot vac travels in the house. The app also displays a map or track of the vacuum’s route.

The Iron Pie’s 2,500mAh battery fully charges in five hours and has an estimated 100 minutes of cleaning time.

The Iron Pie will be available in February 2019 in black or white with a $299 retail price.

Updated January 11 with availability information and about the video camera used for surveillance.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributing Editor

Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…

Smart Home

Trifo’s Lucy robot vacuum won’t run over poop, doubles as a security system

Lucy vacuum robot top

It's 2020, so it's about time robots started becoming more useful additions to our home. It looks like one particular robot is going to fulfill some of our futuristic fantasies. Trifo, a home robotics company, unveiled its latest robot on Thursday, January 2. Its name is Lucy and its basically a super-smart robot vacuum and a security system. Lucy will be strutting its stuff at CES 2020, though there's no word as of yet of when the robot will be available for purchase.

“Revenue for smart home products globally will grow to $28.4 billion in 2020, up 54% from $18.5 billion in 2018, and the feature set of these devices continues to improve,” Trifo founder and CEO Zhe Zhang said in a statement. “Lucy reflects the evolution of our products from robot vacuums to AIoT-enabled home robots that can assist with a wide range of features that help people with their life and work.”

Smart Home

CES 2020: This could be the year your robot vacuum gets a security camera

I’ve raved about the increased quality of life I’ve enjoyed over the past several months thanks to how robot vacuums save me time from cleaning and free me up to focus on other things. Not everyone has the time, or even the patience, to clean their home on a regular basis, which is why robot vacuums are so helpful. The models we’re getting nowadays are incredibly sophisticated, to the point that operating one is simple as a voice command away -- or even a tap of an on-screen button in a mobile app.

Even better is the fact that prices have declined steadily to give more people the ability to buy them. The inevitable reality is that they’ll continue to become sleeker, more powerful, and smarter, resulting in a more efficient cleaning routine. However, in order to reach the next evolutionary milestone, it looks like they’ll need to be outfitted with cameras -- and that's what we expect to see at CES 2020. When you look at all the improvements that A.I. brings to the table, it's easy to see that the future of these small appliances will include full autonomy.
First line of defense
With these future innovations, we can expect a time when robot vacuums will become the first line of defense when it comes to protecting the home. In the smart home space already, there’s this trend of devices becoming multifunctional -- with the Google Nest Hub Max being the perfect example. At the core of it all, it’s still a smart display, but one that leverages its built-in camera to act as a home security system. When you’re away, it acts as a Nest Cam to detect motion and even faces.

News

Trifo’s new Max is an A.I. robot vacuum and guard dog in one

trifo max ifa 2019 announcement

One of Silicon Valley’s million robot companies brought another cool toy to the IFA conference in Berlin this month, and it sees, hears, and speaks as it cleans.

The company is Trifo: They’ve been around for a few years, and they’re tapping into a seriously lucrative market. According to the company, Statista estimates that shipments of home robots will grow to nearly 30 billion units by 2025 and The International Federation of Robotics says the personal household service robots market will reach over $10 billion by 2020.