Perhaps most important, iRobot added new models at higher prices with features like a HEPA filter, scheduling and room-by-room navigation.

FORBES: Invasion Of The Machines: iRobot Hunts Bombs, Cleans Floors, Now Wants To Heal You

In the plant's control room, Penrice's workers watch crystals form on the outside of a vacuum-drum filter.

ECONOMIST: Petri-dish economies