Star Wars' MSE-6 series repair droid, better known as the mouse droid, was one of the more minor droids introduced in A New Hope, but it's one of the few machines that has a functional, real-life counterpart: the Roomba. Tasked with basic repairs, delivering messages, guiding visitors and cleaning floors, the mouse droid was servicing the Death Star over two decades before Roombas hit the living room floor.
Roombas were first released back in 2002, 25 years after the first MSE-6 droid appeared in A New Hope. Although the most obvious similarity between the mouse droid and the Roomba is their ability to clean, they're both common appliances in their respective universes. While the mouse droid was introduced during the Galactic Empire, the MSE-6 was originally developed by the company Rebaxan Columni during the Republic Era. According to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary, the droid was in popular use across star ships for decades, including those flown by the New Republic, the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Haddrex Gang. Meanwhile, Roombas have sold over 20 million units worldwide, and have gone through nine generations of development.
The way MSE-6's creators collaborated with military forces in the Star Wars universe is pretty similar to the origin of the Roomba's parent company, iRobot. Originally founded in 1990 by three members of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, iRobot developed robots for space exploration and defense, eventually deploying machines to New York City's Ground Zero, Iraq and Afghanistan. These iRobot machines shared similar functions with the MSE-6, as they both provide necessary assistance to troops. Additionally, Rebaxan Columni also created droids for defense, developing the First Order's sentry droids.
Both the Roomba and MSE-6 are autonomous as well, even if the scope of the former robot's design was much more limited. The Roomba utilizes AI to identify dirty surfaces, prevent falling from ledges and change its direction when it encounters an obstacle or infrared beam. In A New Hope, MSE-6's are shown to identify obstacles as well, as it runs away from Chewbacca, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker during their escape from the Death Star.
Another similarity that both machines have is an affinity for hackers. In the mobile game Star Wars: Uprising, a number of modified MSE-6 droids were sold in aftermarkets with surveillance and slicing capabilities. A real world hacker pursued a similar surveillance project with their Roomba, modifying it to create a map of a room. Hacking Roombas has become so popular that iRobot developed iRobot Create, which allows hobbyists to modify their own machines.
Despite their similarities, both robots have drastic differences outside of the MSE-6's better capabilities. Roombas are circular and make direct contact with the ground while the mouse droid's base hovers a bit more off the ground thanks to its wheels. The MSE-6 is also rectangular and has a height of about .25 to .4 meters according to different Star Wars sources, while Roombas are between 82 to 94 millimeters.
Although most of the iconic gadgets in Star Wars are lightyears ahead of anything present on Earth, the MSE-6 foreshadowed the development of an iconic household appliance. The mouse droid may not be as famous as the lightsaber or Death Star, but the tiny gadget holds the closest connection to the real world.