A study of 30 Roomba users found that the owners of the robotic vacuum cleaner often develop emotional attachments to their little bundles of plastic, metal and wiring. Of the 30 people in the study, 21 of them named their Roombas, 16 of them referred to it as a "he," and some even went so far as to pre-clean the floors to make the little robot's life easier. In other words, Roomba is driving people stark raving mad, demonstrating signs of insanity and anthropomorphizing these robots that can sometimes barely do their jobs. The upside? iRobot, the maker of the Roomba, promises that the fifth generation won't be quite so flawed. But then maybe their owners won't love them as much without all those quirks. [MSNBC]

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