家用机器人Roomba进化史

    2013年九月：法庭大战

    单价超过200美元的真空吸尘器被称为高端吸尘器。据统计，高端吸尘器市场价值约60亿美元，其中智能吸尘器大约占15%份额。为了保住这一市场，iRobot拿起了法律武器，向竞争对手提起诉讼。近日，一家德国法院裁定中国深圳银星公司（Silver Star）的“智能地板吸尘器”——MyGenie系列产品侵犯iRobot专利，对其颁布初步销售禁令。这次官司颇有几分戏剧色彩，根据iRobot的新闻通报，它在今年的柏林消费电子展上逮到了银星公司的MyGenie机器人。

    September 2013: A court battle escalates

    In an effort to protect its share of the $6 billion market for high-end vacuums -- defined as any unit costing more than $200 -- of which robotic systems account for 15%, iRobot takes legal action against its competitors. A German court grants iRobot a preliminary injunction against competitor Shenzhen Silver Star, the Chinese concern behind the MyGenie line of what are dubbed "intelligent floor vacuums," for patent infringement. In a dramatic turn, according to iRobot's own press release on the matter, MyGenies were seized from the floor of the IFA tech trade show in Berlin.