Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: pa@alsys.se (Peter Atterfj{ll)
Subject: Re: How can my robot clean the floor?
Message-ID: <D9E39I.Mu@alsys.se>
Organization: Alsys AB (Telesoft Norden AB)
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References: <D8xMHx.9Et@magi.com> <3qc449$770@news.rwth-aachen.de>
Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 11:44:06 GMT
Lines: 44

Oliver Hansen (hansen@techinfo.rwth-aachen.de) wrote:
: The one thing I hate most in the household is cleaning the floor with a
: vacuum cleaner.

: Well, what better thing could a robot do than clean the floor for me
: while
: I sit by and read? The control shouldn't be the hardest part, but here
: comes
: the main problem:

: Since the tiny little robot can't pull my 15kg vacuum cleaner around,
: how can
: I make it suck up the dust? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Maybe
: there
: are already some working prototypes out there in netland?

: I'd like to add that I haven't build any robot yet, because cleaning
: the
: floor is the only task I find useful at the time, and as long this
: problem
: isn't solved, I won't waste my time.

: Thanx in advance,

: Oliver

I'm right now constructing a robot to do just this, clean the
floors. Unfortunately it has been under construction for a long
time......... My idea is to have the robot clean the floors several
hours each day, reducing the need for sucction to a minimum. Planning
to use a 12 V fan or maybe a small electrical engine with a propeller.
Then I will use a small pipe which will create enough airflow to remove
dust and hopefully also sand. The idea is to make the device as small as
possible, so that it can go under the furnitures, areas that are otherwise
in a highrisk area of never beeing cleaned. The robot will be working
while I'm not at home (some IR or sound sensors) and will return for
charging when needed. The first model will have to be emptied by hand, but
some kind of dockingstation using water and the drainpipes would be nice.

If I do not succed in this solution, I will have to make the device bigger,
and I will then probably use a vaccumcleaner for car or something simillar.


/Peter
