Bracing for China tariffs, iRobot starts rollout of software upgrade

For Bedford-based iRobot Corp., the pandemic has been a double-edged sword. On one hand, shelter-in-place orders and more people working from home fueled demand for its housecleaning robots. On the other, travel disruptions delayed the company's plan to move production to Malaysia, a move necessary to face the return of China tariffs. On Tuesday, the Roomba maker started the rollout of a software update that will allow customers to further personalize the cleaning process of their homes. The move is meant to give current customers a reason to be loyal to the brand, but also to offset the upcoming impact of Chinese tariffs by keeping the sales momentum going.