Industrial robot arm pretends to do chores in Dyson's London pop-up shop

As Mariah Carey's song goes: "all I want for Christmas is a loyal house-cleaning robot." Okay, not quite, but we did become hopeful when we saw this photo taken inside Dyson's first London pop-up shop. Sadly, it turns out that the sole purpose of this prototype-testing robot arm is to constantly twist a DC24 vacuum cleaner -- presumably to show off just how great a dance partner your rug cleaner can be. If you've just had your wildest dreams shattered (trust us, we're right there with ya), feel free to pass on a petition to the Dyson engineers staffing that temporary shop -- you'll get to play with nine of their vacs and the Air Multiplier bladeless fan while you're there. You have until January 25th. Chop-chop!

[Image courtesy of Mark Hattersley]

[New Reformation Posted Dec 13th 2009 6:06PM]

Just a prototype? Awww, that sucks....

[I dont use spell check Posted Dec 13th 2009 8:54PM]

@New Reformation
I need one of these in my house....

[harryjarman Posted Dec 13th 2009 6:20PM]

I saw this in Bluewater the other day.. i was like wtf.. a dyson shop?! really cool tho!

[7egend Posted Dec 13th 2009 11:18PM]

@harryjarman

I saw a pile of crap in bluewater the other day on a construction site.

[monorail Posted Dec 13th 2009 6:21PM]

OH MY GOD! IT'S CALCULON!

[hugotron Posted Dec 13th 2009 6:22PM]

Just a small note- Bluewater is in Kent which is a long way away from London.
The robot looks awesome though :)

[Miral Posted Dec 14th 2009 3:12AM]

@hugotron

well really it isn't that far away. half and hours drive from London. crap day out though, it just goes on forever.

These robot arm things arent new are they? think ive seen them before somewhere doing a similar task of trying to show off a product. Cant remember so whatever.

[Richard Lai Posted Dec 14th 2009 9:39AM]

@hugotron Well, it's just outside the M25 so it's still London-ish, but you've got a point.

[Freakin Ijit Posted Dec 13th 2009 6:23PM]

What!!?

No video!?

[MuhKuh Posted Dec 13th 2009 7:12PM]

The robot is way to oversized - lol! Works contra-productive for Dyson.

[Slick Posted Dec 13th 2009 10:13PM]

@MuhKuh

Not oversized if you want reach - the bigger the reach the bigger the robot, in general.

[MuhKuh Posted Dec 14th 2009 7:11AM]

@Slick True, well, this is a 6-axis robot. And now I wonder if the robot cleans the whole carpet in there or just goes forth and back to the position it is right now.

[JS Posted Dec 13th 2009 7:32PM]

The prior model of this chore doer called "woman" was pricey and far too high maintenance.

[NAME Posted Dec 13th 2009 8:12PM]

@JS

Yes but that model came with breasts. So much nicer to look at as long as it did not make too much chatter!

[NAME Posted Dec 13th 2009 7:46PM]

Get back to building those shitty GM cars you lazy ass robot arm... oh wait, its human workers that make gm cars shitty!

AHAHH!!!

[p0p0 Posted Dec 13th 2009 9:04PM]

@NAME
Its also human workers that make your economy go round you twat.

[horchata Posted Dec 13th 2009 7:54PM]

The robots of the future will look back at this in the history books as one of the milestones of robot slavery by mankind.

[Azlo Posted Dec 13th 2009 8:12PM]

The robotic arm pictured is nothing new. I've seen many industrial arms (maybe not this exact model) in CNC machining and pneumatic engineering plants.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 13th 2009 8:48PM]

@Azlo


Youve seen many industrial arms vacuuming in engineering plants?

[Azlo Posted Dec 13th 2009 8:55PM]

@(Unverified)

No. Try again. Industrial arms (the big yellow thing bolted to the ground) are actually not that uncommon. The first time I saw one was when I was 6ish (1994) at my dad's engineering plant. I soiled myself back then, but now it's not all that amazing.

Although...
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/29/robotic-arm-rides-5-cents/

[Slick Posted Dec 13th 2009 10:09PM]

@Azlo

Looks like a fanuc, probably a M16iC

And they really aren't uncommon at all. Run off of 440 DC, so you probably won't see one in your living room..

[Slick Posted Dec 13th 2009 10:15PM]

@Slick

Sorry - thats an M-16iB - C doesn't exist.

-My best guess from the picture - sell between 30 to 50 k.

[ifixrobots Posted Dec 13th 2009 10:42PM]

@Slick
Actually, the input voltage selection ranges from 220-575 VAC. But right, you probably can't run this model in your house because it is three-phase.

[Moo Posted Dec 14th 2009 12:27AM]

@Azlo M16iB, I used to program one of these for a small heat treatment facility. Damn you economy.

[Richard Lai Posted Dec 14th 2009 9:40AM]

@Azlo Dude, of course the robot isn't new, but we're talking about a working arm inside a shopping mall!

[EvilJ Posted Dec 14th 2009 3:51PM]

@Slick
It's a Fanuc... I think it is the 165 Kg model. There are about 40 or so on the other side of the wall from my office. I work for an Automation Integration company and we use these a lot. Just sent a bunch out on a line building a certain 400 pound T-shaped battery pack.

They are great robots with really good software, especially their multi-arm collision avoidance and 7-axis configurations. (Yes... they will mount to a rail and move back and forth... not just bolt to the floor)

However, even at the prices we pay for buying these in quantity, Dyson put out some serious cheddar for this. I hope they had an 'extra' one laying around and they didn't just buy that thing for a mall display. Of course, with the price of their vacuums, they can probably afford it.

[Slick Posted Dec 17th 2009 2:03AM]

@EvilJ

My first coop uses the shit out of them - alas I've moved on from them.

Google Dramcotech (really shitty website) - if you watch the video on top I had a hand in design and development on a few of the lines they show in the video.

And I could have sworn it was 440 DC. We always took extra precautions when lines were lying on the floor waiting to be hooked up as a result of it would kill you (effectively - serious injury none the less) on contact.

[harbingerofdoom Posted Dec 14th 2009 12:33AM]

isnt the combination of the name dyson with activities involving robot arms one of the first signs of the impending robot apocalypse?

[SewerShark Posted Dec 14th 2009 6:11AM]

I want to break freeeeeeee

[INsano Posted Dec 14th 2009 3:24PM]

I'm only buying it if it comes with the matching robotic hardwood-polishing ottoman.