iRobot launches its first non robot floor cleaner

iRobot just introduced its first non robot floor cleaner, and yes, you still have to push.

The Roomba Electro Plus is a $399, hands-on device designed for hard floors. The company says it is a 5-in-1 cleaner that vacuums, mops, disinfects, and scrubs in one pass, but you have to steer it yourself. Reviews show the move is part of a broader shift for iRobot, expanding beyond autonomous robots into a new category that mirrors the growing field of manual wet-dry cleaners from brands like Dreame and Roborock. The Electro Plus is positioned as a bridge product: it targets shoppers who want a multi function floor cleaner without the need for a robotic mind to handle the job.

The Verge notes that alongside Electro Plus, iRobot revealed updates to its Roomba line. Five new robot models will bring higher suction, smaller footprints, and lower price points, with the changes largely replacing the previous 2025 lineup. In other words, iRobot is pruning its robot vacuum family while trying to preserve momentum in an area where consumer demand remains volatile and price pressure is rising. The company says the new models emphasize efficiency and compactness, recognizing that many buyers want a more unobtrusive footprint on their living spaces.

Electro Plus is designed to meet a familiar consumer need: a single device that handles dry vacuuming, wet mopping, and surface disinfection on hard floors. It is not a robot, so the line between convenience and effort remains clear. Reviews show that the appeal here is convenience without complexity, as users get a one stop hard-floor cleaner at a familiar price point without committing to a full robot ecosystem. Yet the catch is obvious. You must actively push and guide it, and the device is limited to hard floors. For households with mixed surfaces or a desire for autonomous cleaning, the Electro Plus may feel like a sideways move rather than a leap forward.

From a consumer perspective, the total cost picture is straightforward. The Electro Plus carries a $399 price tag, and there is no subscription required to access cleaning functions. That simplicity is appealing in a market where many smart cleaning devices roll into ecosystems with ongoing service fees or accessory costs. The absence of a subscription requirement reduces total cost of ownership in the near term, making Electro Plus an easy add if you want a multi function hard-floor cleaner without ongoing commitments.

But there are important tradeoffs to watch. The device represents a deliberate push by iRobot into a segment that has become crowded with rival wet-dry cleaners, many of which emphasize easy maneuverability and quick swaps between dry and wet modes. Practitioners should note that battery life and water tank management are critical in this category; the Electro Plus will need to deliver consistent mop performance without sacrificing vacuuming capability, all while remaining easy to clean and maintain. Another consideration is ecosystem lock-in: even as iRobot pushes new robot models, Electro Plus sits outside the robot vacuum line, which may affect long term service and accessory support for users invested in iRobot’s platform.

What to watch next: does this manual, multi function approach revive interest from households that once skipped robot vacuums due to price or maintenance fears, and can iRobot translate the Electro Plus’s performance into broader sales for its hard floor category? Industry watchers will also monitor whether the new Roomba models deliver meaningful improvements in suction and efficiency at the price points announced, and how these devices compete with established and new entrants in the manual floor cleaning space. If the Electro Plus proves durable and effective on real world spills and sticky messes, it could carve out a stable niche for iRobot as a multi category cleaner rather than a single path of autonomous robots.