Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

iRobot Corporation 253run the program on a particular actual machine, a secondinterpreter translates the P-code into specific executablemachine instructions for that machine. Today Java uses asimilar idea. A Java programming system translates sourcecode into an intermediate “bytecode,” which is interpretedby a Java Virtual Machine, usually running with a Webbrowser.In practice, with today’s high-speed computers andgraphical operating environments, interpretative and compilationfunctions are often seamlessly integrated into aprogramming environment where code is checked for syntaxas it is entered, incrementally compiled (such that onlychanged code is recompiled), and the programmer receivesthe same kind of rapid feedback that was the hallmark ofthe early BASIC interpreters (see programming environment).Purely interpretive systems survive mainly in theform of text command processors for operating systems(see shell).Further ReadingCraig, Ian. The Interpretation of Object-Oriented Programming Languages.2nd ed. New York: Springer, 2002.Mack, Ronald. Writing Compilers and Interpreters: An AppliedApproach Using C++. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 2006.Watt, David, and Deryck Brown. Programming Language Processorsin Java: Compilers and Interpreters. Upper Saddle River, N.J.:Prentice Hall, 2000.iRobot CorporationiRobot is an innovative company based in Burlington, Massachusetts,that makes robots for home use (the Roombarobotic vacuum cleaner and its floor-washing cousinScooba) to military robots such as various PackBot modelsdesigned for reconnaissance, bomb disposal, and other dangeroustasks.iRobot was founded by robotics pioneer Rodney Brooksof MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab (see Brooks, Rodney)and two former MIT students, Helen Greiner and ColinAngle. The company was founded in 1991 and incorporatedin 2000. Its first product was My Real Baby, a realistic (andcomplicated) animated doll that proved to be too expensivefor the toy market. Roomba, on the other hand, wasreleased in 2002 and has met with considerable success—2million units had been sold by May 2006. Besides Scooba,Roomba has been joined by Dirt Dog (a workshop cleanerand picker-upper) and Verro, a pool cleaner. iRobot has alsoproduced an educational/hobby robot called iRobot Create.iRobot has done considerable work for the military,based on work in the 1990s with robots that crawled orrolled on tanklike tracks and were equipped with graspingdevices and other attachments. The PackBot series comesin models adaptable to a variety of military tasks, and hasbeen used in Iraq and Afghanistan.In 2007 iRobot released a redesigned, more durableversion of Roomba. Meanwhile cofounder Colin Angle hassaid that the company is looking at many exciting futureapplications, including industrial cleaning, mining, and oilexploration. In the home, Roomba may be joined by outdoorrobots that can mow the lawn and trim the hedges.iRobot is a midsized company whose revenue has grownfrom $54.3 million in 2003 to $227 million in 2007, with agross profit of $82.6 million and 423 employees.Further ReadingHenderson, Harry. Modern Robotics: Building Versatile Machines.New York: Chelsea House, 2006.iRobot. Available online. URL: http://www.irobot.com. AccessedSeptember 23, 2007.Lombardi, Candace. “iRobot’s Angle on the Future: More Profit.”CNET News, August 23, 2007. Available online. URL:http://www.news.com/iRobots-Angle-on-the-future-Moreprofit/2008-11394_3-6204031.html.Accessed September 24,2007.Pereira, Joseph. “Natural Intelligence: Helen Greiner ThinksRobots Are Ready to Become Part of the Household.” WallStreet Journal Classroom Edition, October 2002. Availableonline. URL: http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/archive/02oct/COVR_ROBOT.htm. Accessed September 24, 2007.Roush, Wade. “Will Home Robots Ever Clean Up?” TechnologyReview, March 3, 2006. Available online. URL: http://www.technologyreview.com/article/16542/. Accessed September24, 2007.