The Q1 2020 earnings release of Roomba maker iRobot reveals the company has "suspended" launch plans for the Terra, an autonomous lawnmower promising to combine state-of-the-art navigation technologies with high-quality mowing.
The reason behind the indefinite delay, as one might imagine, is the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) outbreak. The pandemic has affected the iRobot supply chain, leading to revenue losses and a shifting of resources to keep the company afloat. As a result iRobot has not only shelved product launches, but has also reduced its workforce by approximately 70 positions (or 5% of the total), mostly in the R&D department, and furloughed 14 sales and marketing employees in European in-store retail operations.
The Terra was first announced back in January 2019 as a take on the well established robot mower segment. It uses Imprint mapping technology to mow the lawn by navigating in straight, back-and-forth lines. It even remembers where it is in the yard and where it needs to cover, in case it runs out of battery, and users can set specific mowing parameters using standalone wireless beacons.
