A robotic vacuum cleaner

Citation

(1998), "A robotic vacuum cleaner", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925eab.009

A robotic vacuum cleaner

A robotic vacuum cleaner

Keywords Cleaning, Electrolux, Robots

Engineers at appliance manufacturer Electrolux AB in Stockholm, Sweden, are working on what is described as the world's first self-operating vacuum cleaner.

The disk-shaped device, in development for more than a decade, moves around rooms at a walking pace using ultrasonic ranging to navigate and avoid objects. After the appliance is turned on, it follows the room's walls until it makes a full lap around the room's perimeter. The vacuum then goes into random mode, eventually covering about 90 per cent of the floor area. When it senses an object in its path, it changes direction.

The robotic device, which cleans floors with a rotary nozzle, is controlled by a microprocessor that has the same computing power as a late-model personal computer.

The shape of the unit, which is about four inches high and about the diameter of a large pizza, is said to have been inspired by the trilobite, an extinct arthropod that crawled around ancient seabeds hundreds of millions of years ago. The prototype's plastic shell was fabricated using casts made from stereolithographic models.

The cordless vacuum cleaner, which is hung up after use on a recharger stand, can also be operated by remote control. It runs for up to one hour on a fully charged metal-hydride battery.

The company's management has not yet decided when or if the robot vacuum will go into production, nor on how much it will cost. A spokesman said that more information is needed regarding consumer demand and desirable price levels before any decision is made.