NAME THAT VACUUM

A new study shows some Roomba owners are sucking up to their robotic vacuums.

So much so, they dress up the disc-shaped appliance made by the Berlington, Mass.-based company, iRobot Corp.


The study suggests that the public is ready to accept robots in the home if they are emotionally engaging. They don't even have to be reliable, according to Beki Grinter, an associate professor at Georgia Tech's College of Computing.

Grinter found through an online forum of Roomba owners, that many have named their robotic vacuum and treat them like pets. They even arbitrarily assigned it a gender.

One guy took the machine home to meet his parents. I wonder what he told them he like best about the machine.

If it's the design that influences consumers to become attached to robotic appliances, then I'm hoping the next will be a stove that looks like Jessica Simpson so the man can get emotionally involved.

Heck, I'd be satisfied if it just made him aware that we have a stove.

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AP (naked Roomba) PHOTO