The recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by iRobot, the pioneering company behind the Roomba, marks the end of an era for one of America's most recognized robotics firms. Having sold over 50 million robots since its 2002 launch, the company endured 35 years of challenges, only to be undone by what founder Colin Angle describes as "avoidable" regulatory opposition. This collapse followed the scuttling of Amazon's $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot in January 2024, after an 18-month investigation