iRobot Sweeping Hearts and Minds

Michael Jackson. Santa Claus. Some poor shmo dressed up like the Ask Jeeves butler. As long as I can remember there's been somebody to ring the Nasdaq opening bell.

On Wednesday, though, there was no body ringing the bell. There was PackBot, the skinniest robot you've ever seen and the creation of Burlington, Mass.-based iRobot, which has pulled off one of the most successful and celebrated IPOs of the year.

Of course, PackBot wasn't designed for photo ops but for disposing of bombs and hazardous materials -- so using him as a symbol of an IPO opens the door to a lot of easy jokes. But they would be out of place now: In its first two days of trading, iRobot's shares shot up to $34.50, or 44% above their $24 offering price. In early Friday trading, the stock slipped nearly 3% to $33.55. ...