| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) In the provided article [110884], the software failure incident related to the iRobot Roomba robot vacuums is specific to iRobot as the maker of the affected devices. The article mentions that iRobot acknowledged that its software update caused problems for a limited number of its i7 and s9 Roomba models. This indicates that the software failure incident happened within the same organization, iRobot, affecting multiple models of their robot vacuums.
(b) The article [110884] does not provide information about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Therefore, there is no mention of the software failure incident occurring at multiple organizations in this specific case. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The article mentions that the issues with the Roomba robot vacuums, such as spinning around, constantly recharging, moving in strange directions, and not charging properly, were caused by a software update released by iRobot. The update introduced problems for a limited number of i7 and s9 Roomba models, indicating that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced during the development phase [110884].
(b) The article does not provide information about the software failure incident being related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident with the iRobot Roomba vacuums was caused by a software update released by iRobot. The update led to issues such as the devices "spinning around", constantly recharging or not charging at all, and moving in strange directions [110884].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by external factors such as customer complaints on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit. Customers reported problems with their Roomba vacuums behaving erratically after the software update, indicating that external feedback played a role in highlighting the issue [110884]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in this case appears to be related to non-human actions. The article mentions that owners of Roomba robot vacuums complained about the devices behaving erratically following a software update. Issues included the machines "spinning around", moving in strange directions, and constantly recharging or not charging at all. iRobot acknowledged that the update had caused problems for a limited number of its i7 and s9 Roomba models and mentioned that a fix would take several weeks to roll out worldwide. The company asked affected customers to share the serial numbers of their devices so they could remove the problematic update. Additionally, iRobot stated that they were implementing an update to prevent similar issues in the future, indicating that the failure was due to non-human actions introduced through the software update [110884].
(b) The article does not provide specific information indicating that the software failure incident was due to contributing factors introduced by human actions. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article mentions that owners of Roomba robot vacuums complained about the devices appearing "drunk" following a software update. Problems included the machines "spinning around", constantly recharging or not charging at all, and moving in strange directions [110884].
- One of the issues reported was the Roomba recharging five times while cleaning one room but only for a total of eight minutes, indicating a potential hardware-related issue with the charging mechanism [110884].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The article explicitly states that the software update from iRobot caused problems for "a limited number" of its i7 and s9 Roomba models, indicating a software-related failure [110884].
- iRobot acknowledged the software update had caused issues and mentioned working with impacted customers to roll back the robot's software and implementing an update to avoid similar issues in the future, highlighting a software-related fix being deployed [110884]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is non-malicious. The article reports that the issues with the Roomba robot vacuums were caused by a software update released by iRobot, the devices' maker. The update led to problems such as the vacuums "spinning around", constantly recharging or not charging at all, and moving in strange directions. iRobot acknowledged that the update had caused problems for a limited number of its i7 and s9 Roomba models and mentioned that a fix would take several weeks to roll out worldwide. The company also asked affected customers to share the serial numbers of their devices so that the most recent update could be removed [110884]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Roomba robot vacuums can be attributed to poor decisions made during a software update by iRobot. The update caused problems for a limited number of i7 and s9 Roomba models, leading to issues such as the devices "spinning around", constantly recharging or not charging at all, and moving in strange directions. iRobot acknowledged that the update had caused these problems and mentioned that a fix would take several weeks to roll out worldwide. They also asked affected customers to share the serial numbers of their devices so they could remove the problematic update [110884]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as it mentions how a software update by iRobot caused problems for a "limited number" of its i7 and s9 Roomba models. The update led to issues such as the devices "spinning around", constantly recharging or not charging at all, and moving in strange directions. The company acknowledged the problems caused by their update and mentioned that a fix would take "several weeks" to roll out worldwide [110884].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also highlighted in the article. The article mentions that updates are usually intended to add new features or fix security bugs in smart products, but they don't always go as planned and can sometimes introduce new bugs accidentally. This accidental introduction of new bugs can lead to issues like the ones experienced by the Roomba owners after the software update [110884]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 110884 can be categorized as a temporary failure. The article mentions that the issues with the Roomba robot vacuums, such as spinning around, constantly recharging, moving in strange directions, and not charging at all, were caused by a software update by iRobot. The company acknowledged that the update had caused problems for a limited number of its i7 and s9 Roomba models. iRobot stated that they are working on a fix that would take several weeks to roll out worldwide and are asking affected customers to share their serial numbers so they can remove the problematic update. Additionally, impacted customers had their robot's software rolled back, and an update was being implemented to avoid similar issues in the future. This indicates that the software failure incident was temporary and caused by specific circumstances related to the software update introduced by iRobot [110884]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is related to a crash where the Roomba robot vacuums were reported to be "spinning around", constantly recharging or not charging at all, moving in strange directions, and exhibiting erratic behavior following a software update [110884].
(b) omission: The software failure incident does not specifically mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s).
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not relate to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early.
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, such as the Roomba vacuums behaving like they are "drunk" and exhibiting abnormal behavior after the software update [110884].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident is the Roomba vacuums recharging multiple times while cleaning one room but only for a total of eight minutes, which is not the expected behavior [110884]. |