New iRobot Aims To Clean Home WorkshopsNew iRobot Aims To Clean Home Workshops

After cleaning your living room, iRobot wants its robot to sweep your shop.

Now that iRobot is confident its Roomba home robot can clean household rooms, it's targeting garages and basements with a ruggedized robot called the iRobot Dirt Dog.

The Dirt Dog, the same size as the popular Roomba but with a bagless debris bin 40 percent larger, picks up small nails, dirt, sawdust, and other debris that is likely to accumulate under workbenches and in work zones. In a statement, iRobot president Greg White said: "iRobot Dirt Dog is the first robot made for jobs that are too dirty for a regular vacuum."

The Dirt Dog has two counter-rotating bristle brushes that are able to sweep up heavy debris. The device is recommended only for use on tough surfaces like hard floors and shop carpets