On December 14th local time, iRobot, the pioneer of robotic vacuum cleaners, officially submitted a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection application to the Delaware court in the United States.

IRobot is expected to complete the above procedures before February 2026. Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, bankruptcy protection, is a restructuring type bankruptcy procedure for enterprises. Its core purpose is not to directly liquidate and bankrupt the enterprise, but to give financially distressed but still valuable enterprises a chance to "breathe a sigh of relief and rebirth".

According to iRobot's announcement, it has reached a Restructuring Support Agreement with the company's secured creditors and major contract factories - Shenzhen PICEA Robotics Co., Ltd. and Santrum Hong Kong Co., Limited (collectively referred to as "Picea"). Picea has research and production bases in China and Vietnam, with over 7000 employees worldwide.

According to the terms of the Restructuring Support Agreement, Picea will acquire 100% equity of iRobot. IRobot stated that this arrangement will significantly optimize iRobot's balance sheet, ensuring the company can maintain normal operations and retain its global business layout.

IRobot CEO Gary Cohen said, "This transaction will strengthen our financial position and ensure business continuity for consumers, customers, and partners

The company emphasizes that during the bankruptcy proceedings, iRobot will maintain normal business operations, and the company's application functions, customer service plans, global partnerships, supply chain cooperation, and in transit product support will not be affected. To ensure business continuity, iRobot has submitted a series of routine motions to the court to ensure that the company can operate in a regular manner, including fulfilling commitments to employees and timely and full payment of outstanding amounts to suppliers and other creditors before, during, and after the commencement of the proceedings.

After the court approves this transaction, under Picea's ownership structure, iRobot will become a private company wholly controlled by Picea, and its common stock will no longer be listed and traded on NASDAQ or any other national stock exchange.

The company expects that if the court ultimately approves the Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring plan, existing common shareholders will not be able to obtain any equity in the restructured company; All issued and outstanding equity of the company will be cancelled, and ordinary shareholders' investments will face full losses and will not be able to receive any repayment.

IRobot was founded by a team from MIT in 1990, and its Roomba series officially entered the market in 2002, pioneering the category of household cleaning robots. Its robot products have sold millions of units worldwide, with a peak global market share of over 80%.

With the intensification of competition in the robotic vacuum cleaner industry, while Chinese brands such as Stone and Cloud Whale have popularized LiDAR navigation and automatic mop washing technology, iRobot still adheres to traditional visual navigation solutions and will only launch its first integrated sweeping and mopping machine in 2022, more than five years later than Chinese companies. At the same time, its flagship product maintains a high price of over $1000, which is three times higher than similar products in China.

In 2022, Amazon planned to acquire iRobot for approximately $1.7 billion in cash, but this acquisition was subject to antitrust scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the European Union, and others, which also became a key point for iRobot to lose external support. In October 2025, the final round of potential sales negotiations for iRobot broke down, completely blocking the self rescue channel.

This company, which once defined the category of household floor cleaning robots, is now in a state of insolvency - as of September 27th, its cash and equivalents are only $24.8 million, its total liabilities are as high as $508 million, its shareholder equity is negative $26.8 million, and its cash flow is almost exhausted. In the third quarter of 2025, iRobot's revenue in the US market plummeted by 33%, while the European and Japanese markets declined simultaneously.

According to IDC data, in the first three quarters of 2025, global shipments of robotic vacuum cleaners increased by 18.7% year-on-year, with Chinese brands dominating the top five globally. iRobot's market share fell to 7.9%, and it has been squeezed out of the top five.

On December 14th local time, iRobot, the pioneer of robotic vacuum cleaners, officially submitted a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection application to the Delaware court in the United States.

IRobot is expected to complete the above procedures before February 2026. Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, bankruptcy protection, is a restructuring type bankruptcy procedure for enterprises. Its core purpose is not to directly liquidate and bankrupt the enterprise, but to give financially distressed but still valuable enterprises a chance to "breathe a sigh of relief and rebirth".

According to iRobot's announcement, it has reached a Restructuring Support Agreement with the company's secured creditors and major contract factories - Shenzhen PICEA Robotics Co., Ltd. and Santrum Hong Kong Co., Limited (collectively referred to as "Picea"). Picea has research and production bases in China and Vietnam, with over 7000 employees worldwide.

According to the terms of the Restructuring Support Agreement, Picea will acquire 100% equity of iRobot. IRobot stated that this arrangement will significantly optimize iRobot's balance sheet, ensuring the company can maintain normal operations and retain its global business layout.

IRobot CEO Gary Cohen said, "This transaction will strengthen our financial position and ensure business continuity for consumers, customers, and partners

The company emphasizes that during the bankruptcy proceedings, iRobot will maintain normal business operations, and the company's application functions, customer service plans, global partnerships, supply chain cooperation, and in transit product support will not be affected. To ensure business continuity, iRobot has submitted a series of routine motions to the court to ensure that the company can operate in a regular manner, including fulfilling commitments to employees and timely and full payment of outstanding amounts to suppliers and other creditors before, during, and after the commencement of the proceedings.

After the court approves this transaction, under Picea's ownership structure, iRobot will become a private company wholly controlled by Picea, and its common stock will no longer be listed and traded on NASDAQ or any other national stock exchange.

The company expects that if the court ultimately approves the Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring plan, existing common shareholders will not be able to obtain any equity in the restructured company; All issued and outstanding equity of the company will be cancelled, and ordinary shareholders' investments will face full losses and will not be able to receive any repayment.

IRobot was founded by a team from MIT in 1990, and its Roomba series officially entered the market in 2002, pioneering the category of household cleaning robots. Its robot products have sold millions of units worldwide, with a peak global market share of over 80%.

With the intensification of competition in the robotic vacuum cleaner industry, while Chinese brands such as Stone and Cloud Whale have popularized LiDAR navigation and automatic mop washing technology, iRobot still adheres to traditional visual navigation solutions and will only launch its first integrated sweeping and mopping machine in 2022, more than five years later than Chinese companies. At the same time, its flagship product maintains a high price of over $1000, which is three times higher than similar products in China.

In 2022, Amazon planned to acquire iRobot for approximately $1.7 billion in cash, but this acquisition was subject to antitrust scrutiny by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the European Union, and others, which also became a key point for iRobot to lose external support. In October 2025, the final round of potential sales negotiations for iRobot broke down, completely blocking the self rescue channel.

This company, which once defined the category of household floor cleaning robots, is now in a state of insolvency - as of September 27th, its cash and equivalents are only $24.8 million, its total liabilities are as high as $508 million, its shareholder equity is negative $26.8 million, and its cash flow is almost exhausted. In the third quarter of 2025, iRobot's revenue in the US market plummeted by 33%, while the European and Japanese markets declined simultaneously.

According to IDC data, in the first three quarters of 2025, global shipments of robotic vacuum cleaners increased by 18.7% year-on-year, with Chinese brands dominating the top five globally. iRobot's market share fell to 7.9%, and it has been squeezed out of the top five.