iRobot and healthcare.

Robots are in the air these days. They are also quite literally on the ground, in the water, and in many homes, businesses, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. And they are making lots of money for their creators—something that would have been hard to believe just a few years ago.

One company, arguably, has done more than any other to bring robots to the business mainstream. Bedford, MA-based iRobot is the godfather of many of today’s robotics firms, and an epicenter of the commercial robotics industry in Boston, as well as nationally and worldwide.

After 22 years in operation—the last seven as a publicly traded company—iRobot’s impact is all around us. The company’s home robots (including the Roomba vacuum cleaner, which debuted in 2002) have sold more than 8 million units.