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A robotic vacuum cleaner, sometimes called a robovac or a roomba as a generic trademark, is an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner which has a limited vacuum floor cleaning system combined with sensors and robotic drives with programmable controllers and cleaning routines. Early designs included manual operation via remote control and a "self-drive" mode which allowed the machine to clean autonomously. [1]
Marketing materials for robotic vacuums frequently cite low noise, ease of use, and autonomous cleaning as main advantages. The perception that these devices are set-and-forget solutions is widespread but not always correct. Robotic vacuums are usually smaller than traditional upright vacuums, and weigh significantly less than even the lightest canister models. However, a downside to a robotic vacuum cleaner is that it takes an extended amount of time to vacuum an area due to its size. They are also relatively expensive, [2] and replacement parts and batteries can contribute significantly to their operating cost. [3]
In 1956, the American science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein described the concept of a robotic vacuum cleaner with a recharging dock in his novel The Door into Summer : "Basically it was just a better vacuum cleaner .... It went quietly looking for dirt all day long, in search curves that could miss nothing .... Around dinner time it would go to its stall and soak up a quick charge." [4] The following year engineer Donald Moore filed a patent for robotic appliances, including a sweeper, that could follow a track laid below the floor. Whirlpool demonstrated the concept at the 1959 American National Exhibition but did not bring it to market. [5]
In 1969 on 2 April an episode of The Avengers was broadcast in which the character Inge Tilson played by Dora Reisser says "...I saw a demonstration once. A robot vacuum cleaner. It swept around the house, went back into its cupboard, automatically plugged in and recharged itself...". The teleplay for this episode which was entitled "Thingumajig" was written by Terry Nation. It was episode 27 of Season 7. [6]
In 1985, Tomy released the Dustbot as a part of their Omnibot line of toys. Dustbot was the first robot to feature a built in vacuum, and was able to turn when it sensed an edge or ran into something. Dustbot would carry a mini broom and dustpan for decoration. [7] [8] [9]
In 1990, three roboticists, Colin Angle, Helen Greiner, and Rodney Brooks, founded iRobot. [10] It was originally dedicated to making robots for military and domestic use. It launched the Roomba in 2002, which was able to change direction when it encountered an obstacle, detect dirty spots on the floor, and identify steep drops to keep it from falling down stairs. [3] The Roomba proved to be the first commercially successful robot vacuum. [11] In 2005, iRobot introduced the Scooba, which scrubbed hard floors.
In 1996, Electrolux introduced the first robotic vacuum cleaner, the Electrolux Trilobite. [3] It worked well but had frequent problems with colliding with objects and stopping short of walls and other objects, as well as leaving small areas not cleaned. [3] As a result, it failed in the market and was discontinued. [3] In 1997, one of Electrolux's first versions of the Trilobite vacuum was featured on the BBC's science program, Tomorrow's World. [12]
In 2001, Dyson built and demonstrated a robot vacuum known as the DC06. However, due to its high price, it was never released to the market. [13] Electrolux released the Trilobite robotic vacuum cleaner. The Robotic vacuum cleaner launched at a price of $1,800.00. There were two models: the ZA1 and the ZA2.
In 2010, the Neato Robotics XV-11 robotic vacuum introduced laser-based mapping, allowing navigation in straight lines rather than the traditional random navigation. [14]
In 2015, Dyson and iRobot both introduced camera-based mapping. [15] [16]
In 2016, iRobot CEO claimed that 20% of vacuum cleaners sales worldwide were robots. [17]
As of 2018, obstacles such as dog feces, cables and shoes remain very difficult for robots to navigate around. [18] [19]
In 2022, ECOVACS launched DEEBOT-X1 Family featuring YIKO [20] Voice Assistant, which was the industry's first natural language for home robots with Al voice interaction and control technologies. [21] [22] [23]
This section possibly contains original research .(July 2019) |
Robotic vacuums have different types of cleaning modes, usually including the following: [24]
Some models can also mop for wet cleaning, autonomously vacuuming and wet-mopping a floor in one pass (sweep and mop combo).
The mop is either manually wet before attachment to the bottom of the robot or the robot may be able to automatically spray water on to the floor before running over it.
Some advanced robot vacuum cleaners have a sensor that detects and avoids mopping in carpeted areas. However, if there is no sensor, most of the robot vacuum cleaner manufacturers add a no-mop zone feature in the app to make robot vacuums to avoid certain areas to clean. These robot vacuums are also capable to mop about 150 m2 (1,600 sq ft) in one go.
A robot mop can tackle multiple surfaces and comes with a variety of different cleaning modes, providing options for sweeping, vacuuming and mopping damp or wet floors. Robot mops score better on hard surfaces and are ideally suited for hardwood, laminate and tile flooring types.
The first robovacs used random navigation. This sometimes caused the unit to miss spots when cleaning or be unable to locate its base station to recharge, and did not provide the user a history of which spaces were cleaned.
More sophisticated models include mapping ability. The unit can use gyro-, camera-, radar-, and laser- (laser distance sensor or LDS) guided systems to create a floor plan, which can be permanently stored for more efficiency, and updated with information on areas which have been (or have not been) cleaned. Thus, the cleaning efficiency is greatly improved and the repetition rate is reduced significantly.
Models with a multiple floor plan feature can store several floor plans.
These are open-source designs that can be built using off-the-shelf components and 3D printed parts.
A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum, is a device that uses suction, and often agitation, in order to remove dirt and other debris from carpets and hard floors.
Electrolux AB is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool.
Roomba is a term that refers to a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners made by the company iRobot, and was first introduced in September 2002. Roombas have a set of sensors which help them navigate the floor area of a home. These sensors can detect the presence of obstacles and steep drops.
Robotic mapping is a discipline related to computer vision and cartography. The goal for an autonomous robot is to be able to construct a map or floor plan and to localize itself and its recharging bases or beacons in it. Robotic mapping is that branch which deals with the study and application of ability to localize itself in a map / plan and sometimes to construct the map or floor plan by the autonomous robot.
iRobot Corporation is an American technology company that designs and builds consumer robots. It was founded in 1990 by three members of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, who designed robots for space exploration and military defense. The company's products include a range of autonomous home vacuum cleaners (Roomba), floor moppers, and other autonomous cleaning devices.
Scooba was a floor-scrubbing robot made by iRobot. It was released in limited numbers in December 2005 for the Christmas season, with full production starting in early 2006. The company introduced a lower-priced version, the Scooba 5800, in the second half of 2006. It introduced a new Scooba 450 at CES 2014 in January 2014.
Wakamaru is a Japanese robot made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that is intended to perform natural communication with human beings. The yellow, 3-foot domestic robot debuted in 2005 at a $14,300-$15,000 USD price-point exclusively for Japanese households. Through its development, the Wakamaru has been used for presenting at exhibitions, guiding customers, and working as a desk receptionist. However, the Wakamaru has not advanced beyond its first model that was released in 2005.
The Electrolux Trilobite is a robotic vacuum cleaner manufactured by the Swedish corporation Electrolux. It takes its name from the extinct arthropod, which scoured the ocean's floor.
A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of carpets. They were popular before the introduction of the vacuum cleaner and have been largely superseded by them. However, they continue to be used in many home and commercial applications because they are lightweight and quiet, enabling users to quickly clean small messes up from the floor without disturbing patrons, patients, babies and pets, and because they do not require electricity to operate.
iRobot Create is a hobbyist robot manufactured by iRobot that was introduced in 2007 and based on their Roomba vacuum cleaning platform. The iRobot Create is explicitly designed for robotics development and improves the experience beyond simply hacking the Roomba. The Create replaces its Roomba predecessor's vacuum cleaner hardware with a cargo bay that also houses a DB-9 port providing serial communication, digital input & output, analog input & output, and an electric power supply. The Create also has a 7-pin Mini-DIN serial port through which sensor data can be read and motor commands can be issued using the iRobot Roomba Open Interface (ROI) protocol.
Evolution Robotics was an American technological company based in Pasadena, California. It specialized in robotics technologies, with computer vision, localization, and autonomous navigation products.
Dustbot was a prototype robot that collected garbage from homes and streets. It could be summoned by phone call or SMS, and used GPS to automatically make its way to the customer, collect the rubbish, and take it to a dustbin. In addition, the Dustbots carried environmental sensors to monitor the pollution levels over, for example, a pedestrian area. Prototypes were tested in Italy, in Sweden, in Korea and Japan. Launch was planned in 2009, but the last reference in its webpage dates from 2011. The Dustbot project was funded by the European Commission and it never launched as a commercial product.
A domestic robot is a type of service robot, an autonomous robot that is primarily used for household chores, but may also be used for education, entertainment or therapy. While most domestic robots are simplistic, some are connected to Wi-Fi home networks or smart environments and are autonomous to a high degree. There were an estimated 16.3 million service robots in 2018.
Roboking is an automated robotic vacuum cleaner produced by LG. The first version of the Roboking was launched during 2001. It is also sold as Hom-Bot. As of 2011, it is the quietest vacuum cleaner robot on the market, producing 48 decibels (dB).
The Kärcher RC 3000 was a robotic vacuum cleaner created by Kärcher in 2002, and manufactured until January 2015. Unlike other robotic vacuum cleaners of the time, the RC 3000 was designed with a self-service station that allows owners to keep their robots running for longer periods of time. The service station, containing a paper bag, accomplishes this by acting as the collection point for the dirt and dust swept up by the robot.
Ecovacs Robotics is a Chinese technology company. It is best known for developing in-home robotic appliances. The company was founded in 1998 by Qian Dongqi and is headquartered in Suzhou, China. According to Global Asia, Ecovacs Robotics had more than 60% of the Chinese market for robots by 2013. In 2023, Nikkei Asia had reported that the market capitalisation of Ecovacs Robotics has grown to near $6.38 billion, which is "roughly 5 times" that of the market capitalisation of rivalling US based iRobot, who manufactures the Roomba.
Xiaomi Smart Home Products are products released by third-party manufacturers who have partnered with Xiaomi. These products are managed by Xiaomi Home app.
Roborock is a Chinese consumer goods company known for its robotic sweeping and mopping devices and handheld cordless stick vacuums. Xiaomi played a key role in the company's founding.
SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company based in Needham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1994 by Mark Rosenzweig and led by CEO Mark Barrocas, who joined the company in 2008 as President, the company's name is formed by combining its two primary brands: Shark and Ninja.