iRobot filed for bankruptcy this week, underscoring critics' view that the Roomba failed to deliver on the promise of everyday home robotics after the device launched the market in 2002 and lost ground to cheaper competitors and a blocked Amazon takeover.Ian Bogost argued that Roombas often failed in real homes, raised privacy concerns over internal "ghost maps," and noted the brand is now effectively controlled by a Chinese manufacturing partner while broader humanoid robotics efforts such as Tesla's Optimus have struggled to match hype.