It maps its own environment and uses an array of sophisticated sensors to autonomously move about a busy space without interfering with people or other objects.

ENGADGET: FDA approves iRobot RP-VITA telepresence robot for use in hospitals

Last September when Apple ditched its Google Maps iPhone app and replaced it with its amazingly inept home-built Maps app, the move was so roundly denounced as a step backward and a weakening of the iPhone environment that chief executive Tim Cook had to release a public apology.

FORBES: Is Google's New Maps App Actually a Big Triumph for Apple?