# CES 2019 Special: Interview with Chris Jones, CTO at iRobot

- Show: [EE Times Current](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current)
- Published: 2019-01-12
- Length: 20m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot
- Listen: https://podcast.show/aspencore/episode/40902747/

## Summary

Chris Jones, CTO at iRobot, discusses the company's strategy to leverage its 20 million+ Roomba install base to advance smart home integration through robotics. He details the design philosophy of the Roomba i7 and Clean Base, emphasizing the balance of being smart, simple, and clean, while keeping visual data local to the device for privacy. Jones explains how iRobot partners with AWS for cloud infrastructure and Alexa/Google for voice control to create a seamless, user-controlled smart home ecosystem.

## Chapters

- [0:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=4) Introduction: Chris Jones and iRobot's Install Base
- [1:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=79) Smart Home Strategy and Roomba Mobility
- [4:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=267) Design Philosophy: Smart, Simple, and Clean
- [9:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=584) Embedded AI and Navigation
- [11:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=681) Data Privacy and Local Processing
- [15:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=928) Cloud Partnerships and Security
- [18:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot#t=1087) Future of the Smart Home Ecosystem

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- iRobot (company)
- Roomba (product)
- Brava (product)
- Roomba i7 (product)
- Clean Base (product)
- Amazon AWS (company)
- Amazon Alexa (product)
- Google Assistant (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [iRobot: Colin Angle. How The Roomba Became a Household Icon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon) (How I Built This)
- [Episode Eighteen: Robot Talk Live — Robotics in the Home](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2022-06-24-episode-eighteen-robot-talk-live-robotics-in-the-home) (Robot Talk)
- [Artificially Intelligent Party Platform](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-03-18-artificially-intelligent-party-platform) (The Amp Hour)
- [330: I Just Want a Dog](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-05-14-330-i-just-want-a-dog) (Embedded.fm)
- [Developing IoT for Consumers with Privacy in Mind | CHEF iQ's Rene Midouin](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-04-19-developing-iot-for-consumers-with-privacy-in-mind-chef-iqs-rene-midouin) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

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