Oct 30, 2023 07:00:00

In Antarctica, Roombas are loved like pets.

Pets are prohibited in Antarctica to protect the environment. The team at

Amundsen Scott Base, where pets are prohibited, seems to be treating the automatic cleaning robot ``Roomba'' like a pet.

Roombas at the End of the World - IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/south-pole-roombas

The Roomba operating at Amundsen Scott Base is below. A label with the name 'ERNIE' and a label with the phrase 'IT WAS SO COLD' are affixed to the aircraft.

In addition to Ernie, Amundsen Scott Base also has three Roombas named Bert, Sam, and Frodo. According to Amy Lowitz, who worked at the South Pole Telescope, at the base, ``Ernie, who was stationed on the first floor, and Bert, who was stationed on the second floor, were forever separated by the barrier of the stairs.'' It is said that there were jokes about the relationship between Roombas.

In January 2020, Arnie appeared to be missing, and a flyer was created asking for any sightings of Arnie, and flowers were placed at Arnie's docking station.

At the South Pole, the beloved #roomba Ernie is missing! His roomba partner Bert is distraught, so people are putting up flyers in the search to find him, and have even prepared a small memorial at his docking station! #southpole #Antarctica pic .twitter.com/WHVC94Rjga

— South Pole Telescope (@SPTelescope) January 29, 2020

In addition, a flyer demanding a ransom has been created by people claiming to be the culprit who kidnapped Ernie, saying, ``If you want to protect your beloved Ernie, give him cookies!''

The beloved South Pole #roomba Ernie has been found, but apparently a ransom of cookies is being requested by two masked captors! #southpole #Antarctica pic.twitter.com/8kQnQSZoSq

— South Pole Telescope (@SPTelescope) January 30, 2020

Eventually, Ernie seems to have returned to the docking station, and a photo of Ernie and Bert side by side was also taken. There is also a sign posted on the wall where Ernie's docking station is installed that says, ``Cookies received! Ernie will return them!''

Ernie has been returned! Pictured here with his second floor soulmate #roomba Bert, at the memorial erected at his docking station while he was missing. Both are back to work again at the South Pole! #bert #ernie #southpole pic.twitter. com/ImWcK5FMmx

— South Pole Telescope (@SPTelescope) February 3, 2020

In addition, in Antarctica, it is difficult to bring supplies from the mainland in winter, so there may be a shortage of maintenance parts for Roomba. For this reason, it seems that Ernie and his friends are not in good health at the time of writing the article.