Autonomouse

The Autonomouse was our runner-up when we chose which household robot idea to focus on. The Autonomouse is a simple little robot that goes around on your floor. It runs around at a fairly high speed, avoiding obstacles (furniture, people) while your pet chases it. It was designed as a way to help a person's cat (or feline-like dog) get enough exercise, even if you are away or are unable to do so due to a physical disability.

Because this idea was very similar to some already existing products (though ours would have been better) and that this only helps a fraction of the total population, we opted to expand our design of FreakK, the cleaning bot.

Below is a conceptual sketch of the Autonomouse.

We made a proto type using a mini-vacuum from Radio Shack.  This is actually the vacuum that gave us the first idea of Autonomouse.  Using paper, pencil, tape and a sharpie, we made the example shown in the following images (click thumbnails for a complete version).  

 

For the safety of the cat, the ears and tail would be made of rubbery plastic, such as the type suitable for a toddler's teether.