Household Robotic Vacuums: The Future
This portion of the website will focus on the the future of robotic vacuums and our ideas for improving upon todays models.
Navigation :
Overview :
-Usability: The Robo Vac would contain a small LCD for displaying cleaning schedules, maintenance needs, battery life and so fourth.
-Features: Cleaning on a variety of surfaces. A sensor would be able to detect each type based on softness or amount of light that is reflected back. In addition, when dirty area is discovered, unit would spot clean.
-Independence: Would be able to navigate rooms without virtual walls. Would return to dock when battery is low. Would empty dustbin when docked. Would use a schedule to clean different rooms. Smart dock could swap batteries for continuous robot cleaning.
-Size: More rectangular than circular. A rectangular shape maximizes usage, while a circular portion "wastes" the corners.
-Cost: Technology costs need to be reduced to $300-500
The Future :
This robot is equipped with a high-power vacuum, but due to its design, it still has enough power to clean entire rooms, thanks to a smart docking system.
The Robo Vac is designed for cleaning carpet and tile around the house, but does not need to be controlled or managed by a person. Once set up, it is a fully automated device that can charge itself, empty its own dustbin as well as maneuver around rooms using its built in camera.
The Robo Vac comes with two removable heads, which can be used if the area the Robo Vac is cleaning is mainly, tile or carpet. It also comes with a charging bay, which has a metal ramp, split into a positive and negative voltage section. It is plugged into a wall, and when the Robo Vac runs low on power, it heads over to the charging bay and charges, so that it can always clean.
The Robo Vac has four traction wheels to help guide itself around small obstacles. The wheels have metal plates in various places in the center, which enable it to be easily charged at its charging station. It has a swappable battery in the back, which powers its CPU, vacuum and LCD. The battery is rechargeable and receives power from its wheels, so it just rolls onto the charging bay and power surges through the Robo Vac. The dust bag collects dust and is located on the top portion of the Robot, it is able to keep dust in, but has a steady airflow, allowing the Robo Vac to conserve energy with its low powered vacuum. This is because the bag has a filter, so air can pass through the bag but the dust is kept inside and relieves stress of the vacuum. It also has an antenna to receive signals from the charging bay, which also can act as remote programming unit, so the owner can control the robot's functionality (such as scheduled cleanings). This means that if it needs to be recalled the bay can signal the Robo Vac to automatically return to its "home". Lastly, it has a four touch sensors, one on each side, which enables it to escape when it has become stuck.
Tech Specs :
-LCD Display :
320X480 pixel grayscale display with white backlight on top of the robot. LCD doubles as touchpad. On screen buttons, enable the user to set up a cleaning schedule. The LCD would function much like the HUD display in automobiles. If a dirt jam occurred, and the inner mechanisms could not clear it, the robot could return to the dock and display the problem on its LCD. Other repair needs could be communicated to the user through the LCD. The size of the LCD would be similar to those on palm pilots, combining just enough size for easy on screen controls. The grayscale display would cut back on costs.
-Navigation System :
The default primary navigation system would still remain bump sensors. However, there would be one on each size of the robot. This would prove especially useful if the robot must engage in a reverse-escape process. The advanced navigation system would use a camera to map out various rooms. No virtual walls would be required. A combination of infrared sensors and the camera would allow the robot to know what a doorway looks like. The robot would also keep track of where it has traveled, so an area can be cleaned faster. Current robots rely on special helical cleaning patterns that often leave areas not cleaned. In addition, the sensors would help the robot predict the probability of it becoming stuck. If the probability were over a certain limit, the robot would continue to clean other areas.
- Docking Station :
Using the navigation system described above, the robot would be able to automatically return to its docking station when it needs a charge, or when its dustbin is full. In addition to recharging and emptying the dustbin, the bottom of the dock would also clean the vacuum heads, clearing it for any hairs or other objects. Since this cleaning station is present, if the robot detects that something is stuck in the vacuum head, it can simply return to the dock to try to clean it before asking the user for help.
In order to recharge the robots battery, either the hubs of the wheels would be made of metal contacts, or a special depression (female port) would be found on the back of the robot. If the latter case were selected, there would be no direct metal-to-metal contact. Technology used would be similar to those found on certain electric vehicles and cordless toothbrushes. Electricity is transmitted for an extremely short distance, without the use of metal-to-metal contact reducing charging and rusting problems.
Since the current charge time to clean time ratio is very poor, another option is a removable battery. Again, the docking station would be in charge of swapping the batteries. Thus, there are two batteries: one in the robot as it cleans, and another that is charging in the dock. When the robot docks, one battery is removed while the other (fully charged) is inserted. Using this system would allow a robot to increase its vacuum suction power. Currently the manufacturers are trying to reduce energy usage in the device to prolong cleaning time. An automated battery swapping system may be the only work around of today's battery problems. There is effectively no charge time for the robot, as it can roll into the dock, get its battery changed, vacuum heads cleaned and head back out.
The contents of the dustbin would be removed by the dock and stored in a larger container. This larger container would then be removed by the user after many robot-cleaning sessions.
-Sensor Array :
As previously described, a camera would be used to aid in navigation. Four touch sensors on each side of the robot will help it in escape maneuvering. An infrared sensor used with the camera will allow the robot to confirm what it think is a door. A water sensor will prevent the robot from cleaning wet areas, and lastly a texture sensor will tell the robot what kind of surface it is cleaning and change cleaning patterns. The texture sensor would be based off how soft or hard a surface is and how reflective to light it is.
Conclusion :
The main problem with today's model is that they are not fully independent. We believe that adding a smart dock, swappable batteries and array of sensors to aid in navigation as well as floor type detection will help robotic vacuums gain independence. Also, the addition of a LCD will enable the robot to clearly communicate with a human instead of the current beeps and blinking LEDs.