How do the robot vacuums navigate?

We have all seen robot vacuum cleaners prowling people’s homes. These robotic vacuums move around the floor, picking up dust and dirt, then return to their electronic nests to recharge. All of these products, like the Robot Roomba 880, include an alarming number of smart electronic devices. (You can go to this website to buy and compare different models of robotic vacuum cleaners) So how do these wonders of modern cleaning technology move around your house? The answer has two parts: sensors and intelligence.

Sensors: How a robot vacuum cleaner sees the world

Robotic vacuums don’t use cameras to see the world. Instead, they use various sensors to detect and measure the environments around them and their progress through them, including cliff sensors (such as downstairs), crash sensors, wall sensors, and optical encoders. Cliff sensors measure the distance between the robot’s base and the ground, usually bouncing infrared light off the ground. If there is a sudden increase in ground clearance, it means that the robot is approaching a ladder edge or something similar, so it will back up to avoid falling on it (hence the name ‘cliff sensor’).

New Sensors now do not need any energy to function

The name that was given to the shock sensors also reveals what they do: if the robot vacuum strikes something (like a wall or chair leg), the impact will trigger the sensor. Wall sensors are like cliff sensors, which alert the robot when it is near a wall or other object to follow the wall.

How a robot vacuum cleaner navigates the world

Therefore, the robot knows a few things about the world as it moves around it. What gives a robotic vacuum cleaner enough intelligence to figure out what it has cleaned (and what it hasn’t cleaned) yet? The answer may surprise you: insects.

Most modern robotic vacuums were born from the work of Rodney Brooks, a robotics expert at MIT (one of the founders of iRobot, the makers of the Roomba). He studied simple animals like insects and flatworms. It was part of a new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) research that moved away from complex problems such as teaching a computer how to play chess to focus on the basics of intelligence. This movement reasoned that an ant is not intelligent but that it can move around the world.

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How do robot vacuums find their base?

The vacuum robot has revolutionized the vacuum cleaner market. Practical, it works for us, whether we are there or not, can return to its load on its own, not fall down the stairs or avoid obstacles thanks to its various onboard technologies. But how does he do all this without our intervention? This is what we will explain to you.

How does he get around?

Not all robot vacuum cleaners move in the same way. Their movements depend on their technology. Here are the two most common travel modes:

Random movement Random

Activity concerns entry-level and mid-range robot vacuum cleaners. It does not integrate cartography, which implies that it will move as it wants. This also means that it does not guarantee a passage on every cm² of your room. It is therefore often necessary to come back after him.

Room mapping

The most intelligent robot vacuum cleaners have either a laser or an onboard camera. Therefore, this type of vacuum robot will map your room and navigate according to the mapping it has carried out in your room. No zone is consequently forgotten, and it does not pass twice in the same places. As you can see on this site, the mapping is reserved for high-end robot vacuums.

A vacuum cleaner capable of avoiding obstacles

Choosing a vacuum robot that avoids obstacles is almost essential. Equipped with infrared sensors or bumpers for entry-level models, it will be able to change automatically.  

He can come back to his base on his own

The best robot vacuums are designed first and foremost so that you have the least amount of stuff to do. When it comes to innovation, manufacturers do not lack the imagination to make our lives easier. The robot vacuum cleaner is, of course, wireless. It is therefore equipped with a battery that it must recharge.

When the vacuum robot has not finished its work, and it has little autonomy left, it can go back to its base on its own to recharge. For some models, once restored, it can also be taken back to where it left off. This feature is excellent if you are not at home when it vacuums or if you have large areas. You don’t have to do anything; he takes care of everything. Most of today’s robot vacuum cleaners are programmable. It’s a handy feature to keep it working when you’re not around.

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How do robotic vacuum cleaners work

Are you curious about how robot vacuums work? Let’s talk about it! Learn all about the superior technology behind these futuristic devices. When people wonder how the best robot vacuums work, it’s usually the robotic element that interests them. How does the machine know where it has been and where it still needs to clean? How is it that some models clean in an orderly fashion, and others have a confusing path? How does the robotic vacuum cleaner know when to finish?

Fortunately, the answers to your questions are not very complicated!

The design of the majority of robot vacuums includes one or two rotating brushes and a rolling brush, which work together to bring small and large debris back to the center of the device. The vacuum picks up hair, dirt, food, and whatever gets in its way and stores what it vacuums in a removable dust bin. Once this bin is full, the owner will have to remove the tray and throw everything in the trash.

One of the essential parts of a robot vacuum, however, is its sensor. Some models have sensors facing down, and others (usually more expensive) have sensors on the top that can map parts as they are cleaned.

The magic of sensors in robot vacuum cleaners

To effectively clean a room, the robotic vacuum cleaner needs to move around quickly while staying clear of trouble. Robot vacuums use different sensors to detect hazards and other obstacles. They also measure the distance the vacuum has traveled and work to discover new areas to clean.

The sensors in most models exhibit programmed behaviors to determine how the robot reacts to the environment. An obstacle sensor that is located on or near the vacuum cleaner bumpers allows it to move away from any obstacle without being slowed down. When the bumper hits an object, the sensor kicks in, and the vacuum knows it needs to turn and move in another direction. If the vacuum hits an item, it will rotate in the opposite direction. Robot vacuums are also equipped with cliff sensors to help them move away from the stairs. Unlike the cordless vacuum cleaner, stairs can pose the greatest danger to robot vacuums, which is why cliff sensors are there to measure the distance to the ground by sending signals to detect the surface.

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Robot vacuum cleaner

Our cities’ ambient pollution and domestic work produce dust and waste that can be cleaned by the robot vacuum cleaner. This machine is of great help in the maintenance tasks of houses and apartments.

What is a robot vacuum cleaner?

The robot vacuum cleaner is a product of the electronics industry. This automatic machine is an often disc-shaped household appliance that is used for automatic floor cleaning. It is made to pick up and suck up dirt from the floor without human presence or help. It is a robot suitable for all floors: tiles, parquet, carpets, or rugs. This unattended cleaning feature is a favorable option that allows members of the household benefiting from the robotic vacuum cleaner to go about other occupations. At the same time, the machine keeps the room or house clean. The robot vacuum cleaner is, therefore, the friend of the home, especially of women and especially of those who are allergic to dirt and dust.

The usefulness of a robot vacuum

A robot vacuum cleaner is a useful tool that works without much noise. He works discretely while accomplishing his mission effectively and efficiently. This appliance is handy at home while quickly replacing a floor care agent or a housekeeper. It can, however, be used very well, even in the presence of employees, to simplify the work of the latter.

The robot vacuum cleaner, in the shape of a disc, moves independently, with lightness and precision according to the areas of concentration of dirt that it identifies. He explores all the rooms of the apartment, in its most inaccessible corners and always manages to achieve his goal: the cleanliness of the place. It works with the energy that comes from a rechargeable battery. The ease with which it sucks up dirt results from the harmonious functioning of the elements that compose it, namely the rotating brushes and the dirt sensor. The advancement of technology is such that the robot vacuum cleaner has innovative features allowing it to be started remotely.

Benefits of a robot vacuum

The use of the robot vacuum cleaner has several advantages:

• It drastically reduces the time needed to clean your space;
• His work is irreproachable, and his functionality is multiple;
• With advanced models (disk), it easily accesses the most inaccessible areas;
• It is fast and allows less effort to be expended while cleaning;
• Its energy consumption is moderate, especially with the latest models.

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Robot vacuum cleaner algorithm

After purchasing an Ilife V7 robot, I looked for its mode of operation. So I consulted a complete report from the University of Burgundy, which attempts to answer the question of these algorithms on vacuum cleaners, of which I will try to give you a summary:

What is an algorithm?

An algorithm is a finite and unambiguous sequence of operations or instructions that can solve a problem or obtain a result. It is said to be correct when, for each instance of the problem, it produces the correct output, that is, it solves the question posed.

Project study

“At a time when the world continues its ascent towards robotics, the manual vacuum cleaner is faced with competition from autonomous robot vacuum cleaners. However, the adaptation in the everyday life of robot vacuum cleaners is stagnating a little. The main causes are the high cost of a robot and the speed of the robot to perform a complete cleaning of a part. Indeed, the vast majority of robots perform a random movement. Many people doubt their effectiveness and prefer the traditional method, which is more restrictive but significant.

This project aimed at creating a simulation program for the operation of a robot responsible for cleaning a room, allowed us to study the different methods enabling us to design the movement of a robot. This study approach resulted in the construction of three different types of robots. The first, having no memory, was developed in the image of existing robots, that is to say, with a random movement.

The other two types of robots have a memory

That of the second type, with limited memory, is similar to current high-end robots, while that of the third type uses utopian memory, which is infinite. This study was fascinating because it made it possible to reflect on the likely evolution of robots and compare different ways of cleaning a room containing obstacles and thus to study the profitability of robots according to their memory. And then, one can wonder if there is a transcendent difference between these three broad categories of robots: robots without memory, robots with limited memory, and ideal robots? To try to answer this, we have designed a program to simulate the operation of a vacuum robot.”

How does eufy know when to stop?

Less known for its connected devices and home automation than for its external batteries and other tech accessories, Anker has a subsidiary dedicated to home devices: Eufy, which offers a complete range of vacuum cleaning robots, including the RoboVac 12, successor to the RoboVac 11S.

The model incorporates similar characteristics updated, blind, and not connected to wifi. It benefits from the BoostIQ technology developed by the manufacturer. This technology, a real strongpoint of the device, allows it to adapt its suction power to the surface on which it moves.

First impression

Without frills, the robot is sober, shiny black, but above all flat! This is another advantage of this device, which slips easily under furniture or coffee tables. To participate even more in the smoothness of the product, its front bumper is not very prominent but therefore sensitive and allows you to know where to redirect to the slightest contact.

Above the device, a backlit button is used to start or switch it off. The backlighting also makes it possible to know, at a glance, the state of the robot’s battery. The orange backlight of the button announces that the battery is almost discharged. When this happens, the device returns to its charging base in autonomy. This simple button is used to commission the robot. An ON / OFF switch located on the side of the device controls its power. Finally, although it is not connected, a remote control delivered with the robot allows it to be controlled manually.

Performances

The aforementioned remote control is particularly important in the robot’s use since it allows it to be fully configured. Several different modes are then available to best adapt to the configuration of the space in which the device operates!

Guidance mode:

Beyond the manual mode, which allows you to direct the robot from the directional arrows on the remote control, the automatic mode randomly guides the robot throughout the room where it officiates until it meets or comes into contact with an obstacle, which then redirects it. Ideal for large spaces is supplemented by two other ways: the spiral mode and the angle mode.

Conversely, the “spiral” model is intended for the smallest volume of life. Launched in this mode, the robot is responsible for cleaning a restricted and specific area by a spiral movement. Finally, an “angle” mode allows it to run along the walls to suck into the corners of the room.

Roomba

The Roomba Robot brand has been doing very well for a few years. Not only does it regularly release models of robot vacuum cleaners, but it also updates older models.

What about iRobot?

The iRobot company’s goal is to make the interior of the home fully connected but in a logical way. Their nearly 30 years of technological expertise pushes them to create more and more utensils that fit together and complement each other.

ROOMBA robot vacuum cleaners

The ROOMBA robot vacuum cleaners represent decades of testing, engineering feats, and innovation. This range is available in many series such as:

600 series: at an unbeatable price, these models are among the best in quality/price ratio.

E Series: a more robust set with more features equips these models (2 extractors, more powerful filter, and suction).

900 series: in addition to a dedicated application and a connected robot, these models offer larger work surfaces.

Series I: Apart from emptying the docking station’s dust bin once a month, you don’t have much to do. It takes care of everything.

S series: the most successful robot vacuum cleaner from the iRobot brand. It is equipped with the latest cutting edge technology and goes around your home on its own.

Also, the robot vacuum cleaners of the ROOMBA range all (or almost) benefit from all the technologies developed by the firm:

“Clean Base” self-emptying system: this allows the robot to automatically empty its dust bag into its charging base, which is able to hold up to 30 times the robot’s capacity.

“Imprint” technology: this allows the robot to communicate with the other robots in your house if there are (like the Braava range, for example) so that they do not come into conflict during their sessions.

“VSLAM” technology: optical sensors with the capacity to process more than 230,000 data per second. This allows detailed mapping and detection of areas.

“Dirt Detect” technology: the robot knows the difference between areas cluttered with dirt and regions that are not. He will thus adapt his cleaning cycles.

Two rubber extractors allow you to recover any dirt regardless of the surface to be cleaned, even the smallest of debris. Two multi-surface brushes: one brush to loosen dirt and a second to extract it towards the extractors. An intelligent navigation system: a suite of sensors allows robot vacuum cleaners to forget any part of your home.

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