Photos: iRobot phones home, cleans gutters

The Looj is waterproof, so you can hose it off after each use. A gutter-cleaning robot does not seem like a necessity. But priced at $99, with accessories like a holster, you can see it becoming an easy present choice for the gadget-hungry homeowner.

The gutter-wrenching device has an auger to break up clogs, paddles to eject debris out of the gutter and a smaller brush that sweeps up the leftover crumbs.

iRobot used mobile technology it had developed for its military PackBot to create what Angle said is "a mini remote-control tank." Says Angle, "It takes a nasty job and brings it to the domain of acceptable annoyance."