Go home Roomba, you’re drunk. That unlikely phrase has probably escaped from more than a few lips in recent weeks, after a software update from Roomba maker iRobot that left some users reporting that their i7 and s9 models have been acting as though they slurped up a bottle of Maker’s Mark. And while the brand is aware of the issue, they say the solve is still a few weeks out.
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Details and reporting of the malfunctioning Roomba vacs were first reported by The Verge. According to the news site, the latest 3.12.8 firmware update has been causing to act, as many social media users call it, “drunk.” Issues include mounting complaints, failure to empty its trash, “endless spinning,” room map erasure and general navigation issues.
Even in one Reddit user’s incredibly tidy room, an afflicted Roomba i7+ reportedly has trouble moving in a straight line. It gets confused about its location and wanders around aimlessly — in other words, typical drunken behavior. As one Twitter user so accurately describes, “My Roomba acts like a drunk person trying to play it cool.” (That said, it’s unclear if their Roomba was affected by the buggy software update.)
In a statement to USA Today, iRobot says it’s been working with users to “roll their robot’s software back,” and are “also implementing an update to ensure any similar issues are avoided moving forward.” Until iRobot finds a fix for its Roomba models, may we suggest vacuuming by hand?