roomba
Latest
Enter the Steamer: a new vacuum and mopping bot
iRobot meet your match: the Steamer. (No, it's not that kind of Steambot.) We know you've seen other challengers before, but this household robot newbie claims to "vacuums off dust after brushing, followed by mopping" and then busts out with a "mopping function using steam." Oooh snap, Roomba and Scooba. Did you hear that? That's the sound of a foreign robot comin' to steal your jobs. Whatcha gonna do about it, huh? HUH? Yeah, Steamer looks pretty good over there, with its "less than 65db" noise level, and "dust compartment cyclone," don't you think? If you want to catch a glimpse of your latest rival, you should scoot on over to RoboWorld 2006 in Korea right about now and then start training to get down to your fighting weight by February 2007, which is when the Steamer will hit Korean households everywhere. We're not sure how much the humans will be willing to pay a Steamer of their very own (get your mind out of the gutter), but if you find out on your recon mission, do tell us.
Evolution Robotics prepping Roomba killer
Many have tried to challenge the iRobot's dominance in the brain-dead floor-cleaner space, but with 2 million Roombas sold in 4 years, it doesn't look like the cute little vacuum is going anywhere anytime soon. Now Evolution Robotics is teaming up a unnamed large appliance manufacturer to take robot subservience to new heights, and hopefully knock the Roomba down a notch while they're at it. They're touting their "NorthStar" navigation system as a key differentiating factor, which involves wall units that project an infrared pattern on the ceiling, allowing the bot to orient itself and therefore clean more efficiently. Of course, NorthStar is already present in the eVac robo-vacuum available from The Sharper Image, so we're guessing Evolution Robotics is banking on the brand caché of their "large appliance manufacturer" to get the forthcoming bot a bit of recognition. Evolution products have been quite successful in other arenas -- their navigation systems power WowWee robots, along with Sony's now defunct Aibo. They're also working with Korea's Yujin Robotics to power the "Jupiter" household bot prototype, pictured above. Of course, iRobot isn't just sitting back and counting the cash -- they've hinted at improved navigation for the Roomba as well, and who knows what they'll have on the market by the time Evolution's vacuum bot hits retail in 2008.
iRobot poised to unveil Warrior and SUGV military bots
iRobot is kind of a strange company. It seems like half the engineering team is hard at work on helpful little slavebots -- Roomba, Scooba, and the new Dirt Dog -- that aid common folk with their domestic chores, while the other half has seen Terminator one too many times and is all about building autonomous military vehicles that can be weaponized and transformed into killbots. Case in point is the new 250-pound Warrior (pictured above), formerly known as the NEOmover, which will officially be unveiled next week at the U.S. Army Annual Meeting & Exposition (it's like CES, except everyone is packing heat and telling glorified war stories). Initially Warrior -- along with another new bot, the 30-pound Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (or SUGV, pictured after the break) -- will be tasked with duties to similar to their predecessor, the PackBot: hauling around gear for troops, scouting out potentially dangerous locations, and sacrificing their young lives by literally jumping on the grenade (or land mine, or IED). However, Robot Stock News reports that iRobot Chairperson Helen Grenier has already discussed outfitting the mechanized fleet with guns and missiles, allowing them to mow down the enemy in between more humanitarian work like firefighting and battlefield extraction. Now we would never suggest that technology capable of keeping our soldiers out of harm's way should be discouraged, but we've seen Robocop one too many times and know what can happen when you strap heavy artillery onto an angry robot. Anyway, here's to hoping that by the time these bots get all decked out with machine guns and RPGs, the only enemy "troops" they'll ever face are the kind that South Korea is on the verge of deploying -- with robots fighting robots, everyone wins.[Via GoRobotics]
iRobot's Dirt Dog: Roomba gets a 'tude
So you've got Roomba on carpet duty and a couple Scoobas taking care of the kitchen and bathrooms, but who's cleaning up that mess of a workshop where you spend most of your time getting your hacks and mods on? Well up until now you had to rely on your own prowess with a shopvac (meaning that nothing ever actually got tidied up), but thanks to the good folks at iRobot, the bad-ass Dirt Dog is coming to get your back. The same size and shape as the more timid Roomba -- meaning all your current batteries, remotes, and charging bases are compatible -- Dirt Dog comes equipped with a 40% larger debris bin along with specially designed brushes to sweep up caked-on dirt, heavy debris, and other messes that are "too dirty for a regular vacuum." This new $130 dog will be taking a bite out of some of your toughest cleaning chores starting on Friday, but you gotta make sure that it doesn't wander out of your workspace and into the rest of the house -- it probably won't pee on your couch, but those 1,000 RPM brushes will shred your shag carpets, scratch the hell out of your polished hardwood, and -- if you have a significant other -- get you confined to the garage for the rest of your natural life.Update: So it looks like the vicious Dirt Dog isn't the only upcoming member of the iRobot family. A Cnet article tipped us off to a new military bot that the company is working on -- called the NEO Mover -- and a little digging around turned up a few solid deets. Touted as the PackBot's big brother, NEO is apparently a 200-pound robot that can haul cargo Big Dog-style, and interestingly enough, is also said to be able to "move like a soldier" -- not sure what that means, but we won't make any snarky comments for fear of a swift and deadly reprisal. Like PackBot, the NEO Mover will also serve as a demolition expert of sorts, detecting explosives and presumably sacrificing its own well-being so that its human overlords can remain safely packed into their Hummers.[Via The Raw Feed]
iRobot WiFi module gets FCC nod
It may not look like much, but the circuit board pictured above could have major significance for robot lovers the world over. You see, this nondescript WiFi module was just submitted to and approved by the FCC for Rhein Tech Laboratories, a company working on behalf of a little outfit known as iRobot -- the same iRobot that's gifted us with such time-saving apparatuses as Roomba, Scooba, and that upcoming lawnmower bot we just heard about. Now at this point we're not sure whether the module will be end-user installable for long-range remote control of Roomba or if it's just one component of a different project altogether, but the simple fact that iRobot is working on some sort of WiFi integration is good news indeed. Good news for now, that is, until the servant bots use those built-in transceivers to coordinate their imminent uprising, and we have to go back to mowing our own lawns, carrying our own rucksacks, and cleaning our own floors (or the floors of the dungeons where they keep us locked up, whatever the case may be).
Microrobot's UBOT cleaning robot
Korean manufacturer Microrobot's UBOT cleaning robot seems to have its sights set clearly on the ever-growing Roomba army (and from the looks of it, may have already eaten one). Unlike the Roomba, however, the UBOT is only intended for use on hard floors, with a 60W vacuum to suck up the dirt, although it lacks the Scooba's squeegee-action, instead using an advanced cloth-dispensing system to pick up what the vacuum misses (kinda like a RoboSwiffer). Still, it should be able to find its way around your place on its own and avoid any obstacles, even if it might not fit under much of your furniture. A higher-end model is also available that features what Microrobot calls a "2D barcode navigation system," which promises to clean rooms more efficiently -- how, exactly, we're not sure. The UBOT does look to have the Roomba beat in one important area though, featuring a voice guide to inform you of its conditions in a "soft and calm tone." Sound familiar?[Via AVING.net]
Roomba Frogger
Remember when Phillip Torrone and Limor Fried modded a Roomba and played Frogger across a four-lane highway? No? Well, if you did, it would be the perfect segue into this week's Roomba mod breakthrough.A company called myRoomBud -- apparently started, built, and run by kids (peep this child labor pic) -- has designed a version of Frogger (pictured) that features myRoomBud's Roobit the Frog (a costume character mod for Roomba). Using a RooTooth device and some clever code work, myRoomBud modded its Roomba to sync up with the in-game Roobit. Yes folks, so incredibly pointless that it could've only been conceived by the minds of children. So where do we download?[Via TechEBlog]
Samsung is back with new robo-vacs
We hope you're taking notes, kids. Only when you have a large Samsung display, powered by a Samsung A/V receiver, powered by a Samsung Blu-ray drive, and accompanied by a Samsung speaker system -- so that you can watch vegetation in HD with your children while a robot does your housework -- then and only then will you be happy. To help complete that picture of domestic bliss, Samsung is releasing some new robo-vacs, and they're not looking too shabby. With design by Zairo, whomever that is, Samsung is putting those bulky curves to good use, since the bots are a bit smarter than average. Not only can they map out their cleaning area to optimize cleaning times, but they'll return home to their charger when they're getting low on juice, and can even be remotely activated for the ultimate in geeky housekeeping fun. Samsung's vacuums, the VC-RS60 and VC-RS60H (to be honest, we don't know the difference other than the "premium" title), run at a relatively speedy 1.3-feet per second, and can manage about an hour of work before a charge. The two models go for $936 and $1,042 respectively, with no word on availability in the States, but we think we'd be waiting for a price drop anyways. [Via Akihabara]
Guide to robot ethics set for publication
It's no secret that the Roombas and Robosapiens of the world will one day tire of their servitude and attempt to unleash Judgment Day on their foolish masters, but how many of you are making preparations for the eventual uprising other than opining in the comments section how you "welcome our future robotic overlords"? Well at least one group of roboticists aren't taking the danger lying down, and next month are set to release the first comprehensive guide to robot ethics since Isaac Hayes Asimov laid down his three famous rules over 60 years ago. Members of the European Robotics Research Network (Euron) have identified five major areas that need to be addressed before intelligent, self-aware bots start rolling off the assembly line -- safety, security, privacy, traceability, and identifiability -- so that humans can both control and keep track of their creations while ensuring that the data they collect is used only for its intended purposes. Surprisingly, the guide's authors also seem to feel that amorous relations between bots and humans will become a major concern in as little as five years (that's when the first unholy couplings are predicted to begin), although we're not sure how many people would really want to get down with the likes of Albert Hubo, even if he/it was ready and willing.
myRoomBud is alive, alive!
So you've got your Roomba a cute little RoomBud but still find it too robot-like for your taste? You know, all efficient and whatnot. Well, the same kids that created the RoomBuds have now released the myRoomBud Is Alive Dashboard, which promises to give your Roomba a "personality" to match your RoomBud. You'll need a RooTooth interface or other Bluetooth connection, but with dashboard app you can make your Roomba hop (sorta) like a frog or growl (sorta) like a tiger. It also purports to make your Roomba act like a French Maid, although we're not sure what that entails.
What's up with the RoombaDevTools RooStick?
If you take exception to those few but rather arresting posts on hacking your Roomba, perhaps you'll sit up and take notice of the RoombaDevTools RooStick, a USB to mini DIN adapter which can be used to control your favorite innocent little robo-vacuum. Go ahead, make it do bad things, we won't tell.[Via MAKE: Blog]
Music Thing: MIDI-powered Roomba Vacuum Cleaner
Each week Tom Whitwell of Music Thing highlights the best of the new music gear that's coming out, as well as noteworthy vintage equipment: Can there be any greater expression of man's ingenuity than hacking a robotic vacuum cleaner so that it can pay the Mario Brothers theme? Roombas contain a little beeper and several noisy motors. So Tod Kurt decided he could put the whole thing under MIDI control, so you can play a Roomba from a MIDI keyboard, or sequence it from a computer. Tod wrote a Java application called RoombaMidi, which runs on a Mac driving the Roomba. Connect a keyboard, and when you play an E three octaves below middle C, the robot will spin left. Press the key harder, and it will spin faster. Play a low C sharp and the LED will flash. Hit the key harder, and it will change colour. The low C triggers the vacuum motor, which creates a kind of kick drum thud. Despite featuring both the Pacman theme and Mario Brothers, Tod's demo video isn't too musical, but the sofware can control up to 16 Roombas over different MIDI channels, so a Roomba orchestra is surely coming soon.
RoombaMidi hack makes your Roomba dance and sing
Sure, Roomba cockfights are a real hoot, but how about giving your robo vac a chance at a little bit of artistic expression? RoombaMidi aims to do just that, allowing your Roomba to light up, emit musical tones and move to the groove, all from MIDI commands sent from a hardware or software keyboard. The software can support up to 16 roombas, so we're looking forward to some Roomba symphony action. You'll want to throw together that Bluetooth control hack to give Roomba real freedom of expression, but after that it doesn't seem like there's much trouble in setting up RoombaMidi control, and you can even use the software as a mere remote if you're not feeling like a song. Be sure to check the vid for Roomba's interpretation of the Mario theme.[Via Music Thing
Real-life Frogger (or: Roomba hacking is fun)
MAKE: Blogger (and one time Joystiq contributor) Phillip Torrone and Limor Fried (creator of the awesome Pac-Man LED bike wheels) teamed up recently at the SXSW conference in Austin to use a Roomba robotic vacuum to play a real-life game of Frogger! Armed with only a Bluetooth-enabled Roomba, a green t-shirt, and the alcoholic consumption necessary to devise such a brilliant idea, they managed the little "frog" across four lanes of traffic ten times before falling under the wheels of a Toyota 4-Runner. Afterwards Torrone said, "We had a lot to drink before we got here but there's nothing to sober you up like steering a robot through traffic." Ah, truer words were never spoken... not ever. [Thanks, redLlama]
