Dogs and Vacuums Are Finally Friends with Roomba's T.R.E.A.T. Pet Dispenser

For too long, dogs and vacuums have existed in a state of conflict; now iRobot is ready to make peace between Roombas and beloved furry friends.

To celebrate Pet Appreciation Week (June 4-10th), iRobot is unveiling an experimental prototype called T.R.E.A.T. (Tasty Reward Emission Apparatus Thingy) – a Roomba attachment engineered to dispense dog treats on demand. 

Pets bring a ton of fun into our lives – with a side of chaos. That’s why iRobot’s products are built with more pet features than any other robot and are thoughtfully designed with pet owners in mind. Examples of iRobot’s pet-centric features include: Pet Lock to keep our furry friends from accidentally (or purposefully) starting/stopping the Roomba; object detection and avoidance, which enables certain Roomba models to avoid pet bowls, kitty litter boxes, dog toys and even solid pet waste; Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes to lift and remove pet hair, dust, and debris from various surfaces, including carpets, hardwood floors, and tiles; and high efficiency filters that capture and trap 99% of dog and cat dander allergens.

Here’s the catch: T.R.E.A.T. is an experimental prototype and is not available for purchase at this time. However, pet owners can sign up to participate in a trial and receive the attachment to use at home! To be considered for the trial, consumers must complete the form on the T.R.E.A.T. website and select participants will be chosen to receive the prototype.

T.R.E.A.T. is an example of how iRobot engineers are always thinking about new and innovative ways to help customers, including many of those who have pets. In fact, T.R.E.A.T. is a result of an internal iRobot engineering hackathon.

“With powerful cleaning and intelligent pet-focused features, Roomba has been making pet owners happy for years. We know sometimes their furry friends might feel a bit differently about things, though,” said Matt Carrow, vice president of global media at iRobot. “We hope the T.R.E.A.T. experimental prototype will help bring some of our favourite pets and favourite robots a bit closer together.”