April 16, 2005

• iRobot

  Cathy gave us a carpet-sweeping robot called Roomba, which is manufactured by iRobot. It comes with two virtual walls and a remote control. It has a docking station that it tries to return to when commanded, at the end of its programmed sweeping cycle or when its battery starts to get low. There is also a bracket for hanging the sweeper on the wall or a door.

  The virtual wall and the docking station use infra-red lights to tell the robot where to go or not to go. The robot evades the light shining from the virtual wall devices, treating it much the same way it treats a physical wall. On the other hand, the robot is attracted to the light on the docking station when it is ready to dock, ignoring it otherwise.

  Unfortunately, the docking station signal is bright enough that the robot will be attracted to its reflections, becoming confused by what seem to be multiple docking stations. If placed directly in front of the docking station, the robot will dock. If it decides to dock when too far away, it can have problems finding the dock. It is best to position the docking station facing into a wide open room with few reflectors so the robot can find its way home.

  It is not a vacuum cleaner. It uses a rotating brush to sweep up trash from carpet or bare floor. It isn't very noisy.

  The remote control can be used to command the robot to leave the docking station and begin cleaning but not to return to the docking station, which has to be done manually. The remote can also be used to drive the robot to an area for cleaning by commanding it to advance, turn left or turn right.

  The robot is supposed to be able to map its environment and learn where things are in the places it has visited. It still needs to find its limits by bumping into things. There is a large bumper in front and two spinning fingers on the sides for detecting objects. When it touches something, it backs up a short distance and then turns one way or the other. It may follow a straight path or a curved path when moving, which allows it to sweep all around any object it finds.

  Rocky, Cathy's dog, quickly learned to accept the intruder, showing neither hostility nor fear. On the other hand, I doubt we'll soon see Rocky riding about on the robot like an elephant on a giant turtle.

  The robot seems to do its job pretty well. It has to be cleaned out after each excursion, but seeing what it has picked up makes it that much easier to accept. Delia is resigned to having it about, to roam each day in a quest for cleanliness. We would never sweep so often otherwise, especially under beds and chairs.

  I'm going to have to mount a small camera on top so I can see our house from a turtle's perspective.

  • 18:42
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