returns to its charger base just like
the Roomba.
Unlike the iRobot Roomba,
however, it uses magnetic strips
instead of virtual walls/lighthouses to
define its working area. Figure 3
shows an interior view of the Trilobite.
This is just one of many types of
robots being developed in Swedish
universities and then produced by
their world-class industries.
An interesting Electrolux robot
that was developed more as an
‘ecological green’ demonstration
device is the HVF robot vacuum
cleaner. Looking more like a roving
flower pot than a useful household
device, it supposedly runs on
hydrogen fuel cells and produces
water as a byproduct for the plants.
Figure 4 shows the robot in all
its glory.
News of the device made
headlines in the blogsphere about a
year ago when it was touted “for the
home of 2020.” I have yet to read
anything mentioning the technical
aspects and actual cost to purchase
it here in the US.
FIGURE 4.
British Robotics
One particular British robotic
device that I’ve heard about the past
few years is the MAS Mower 01 and
05 — large scale robotic grass mowers
intended for stadiums and soccer
pitches. The Gloucestershire-based
company, McMurtry Limited, has
developed a mower that can act on
its own and mow an entire sports
field without human intervention. The
MAS Mowers are substantially larger
and more expensive (£ 40,000+) than
smaller residential types (see Figure 5).
The mower utilizes a 36 inch
wide, six blade reel cutting
system and the robot
mower is guided by a
rotating laser shown in
Figure 6. The on-board
computer can be pre-programmed to follow any
pattern desired, even to
actually cut a sports team’s
logo in the grass. When
the 70 liter catcher is full,
the mower automatically
goes to a specified dump
point to dispose of the
clippings and then returns
to the place where it left
off to continue cutting.
The rotating laser
scanner senses reflective
strips placed around the field to
accurately locate and orientate itself
on the area being mowed. A hand
controller can be used to program or
control the mower.
Considering the robot’s size and
potential danger inherent in an
autonomous lawnmower, the MAS
Mowers have ultrasonic obstacle
detectors, soft front and rear
bumpers, a warning horn, a flashing
strobe light, and manual override
capability with three emergency kill
switch buttons. The massive mowers
can cut up to two acres of grass
before needing recharging (by manual
means).
Dyson DC06 Robot
Vacuum Cleaner
Dyson is known as a manufacturer
of quality and fairly expensive vacuum
cleaners. James Dyson started the
company after examining a sawdust
collector that used cyclonic action to
collect the dust without replacing
bags. The collector was too expensive
for him to buy, so he designed and
built his own that was superior and
cheaper. His uniquely colored vacuums
are popular around the world and he
decided to follow suit with the other
robot vacuums that were beginning to
appear in the late ‘90s and developed
the 9.2 kg DC06 that was unveiled in
2001 (see Figure 7).
The project was placed on hold in
2004 after many beta models were
placed into various households for
testing. It was expected to cost over
$4,000.
“Dyson engineers are researching
robotics, but it takes time. We could
have launched DC06 and heralded it
as the first robotic vacuum cleaner. It
has three onboard computers, 2,000
electronic components, 27 separate
circuit boards, and 70 sensory devices.
As robots go, it’s highly advanced,
more so in fact than robot vacuums
available today. But, we want one that
cleans properly and guides itself
more logically than a human would, a
FIGURE 7.
FIGURE 6.
FIGURE 5.
SERVO 04.2009
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