iRobot, the US company behind the Roomba robot vacuum, is facing severe financial trouble, raising further questions about the future of its devices.

The company’s latest quarterly results show revenue dropped to $145.8 million (A$255 million), a 24.6% fall from the same period last year.

iRobot’s profits turned into a $17.7 million (A$31 million) loss, as CEO Gary Cohen cited “market headwinds, production delays and shipping disruptions”.

iRobot now has less than $25 million (A$44 million) in cash. According to its own SEC filings, it “has no sources upon which it can draw for additional capital.”

The company warned that, without new funding or a sale, it may need to shut down operations or seek bankruptcy protection, potentially as early as 1 December.

The company has struggled for years against rising competition from Chinese manufacturers and a failed $1.42 billion (A$2.49 billion) acquisition by Amazon in 2022, which fell through due to regulatory scrutiny.

Since then, leadership changes and multiple rounds of layoffs have left the company in turmoil.

iRobot has launched new robot vacuums this year with LiDAR navigation, spinning mop pads and a redesigned app, aiming to compete with brands like Roborock and Ecovacs.

However, the financials suggest these updates haven’t boosted demand enough to reverse its decline.

So what does this mean for Roomba owners?

The Roomba Combo 10 Max uses its camera to visually pinpoint dirt on the floor

If iRobot goes bankrupt and its cloud services shut down, robots would still operate manually using physical buttons, but app-based features like scheduling, mapping and voice commands could stop working.

Some upcoming models with Matter support may allow limited control via third-party apps, but updates are not yet available.

iRobot said day-to-day operations will continue for now and products and support remain unchanged. But the warning is a reminder of the risks of heavily cloud-dependent smart devices.

The situation will develop over the next few weeks, with iRobot racing to secure a buyer or refinancing before December.