Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

Vacuum Cleaners Continue to Evolve

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Vacuum cleaners are devices that suck dirt out of carpeting. Typically vacuum cleaners are motorized and require electricity to operate. Older vacuum

cleaners consist of a bag attached to a handle that can be pushed forward and pulled back over the area needing cleaning. Once the bag gets full, it should

be thrown away and replaced with a new bag. The size and style of bag needed depends on the manufacturer and model of the vacuum. Vacuum

cleaners have evolved to include several different styles and attachments. Some vacuum cleaners are hand held and are better suited for steps and hard

to reach places. Typical attachments include long handles, thin nozzles or brushes to aid with reaching high up places, tight corners, or other areas

needing special attention.

Many people prefer to get bagless vacuum cleaners nowadays. Bagless vacuums do not require the use of a bag. They contain a dirt chamber that can be

dumped into the trash when full. Many bagless vacuum cleaners also contain a filter to help clean the air while they vacuum. The filter should be changed

every 6 months to a year depending on the frequency of vacuuming.

Vacuum cleaners are usually used on carpeting. Some people use vacuums to clean tile or other flat surfaces that have debris that is being missed by the

broom. Vacuum cleaners are useful for getting up stubborn pet hair that otherwise would not come up easily. Restaurants will sometimes use sweepers

as alternatives to vacuum cleaners. Sweepers are not motorized and will suck up small areas needing cleaning quickly. Vacuum cleaners come in a wide

variety of styles, models, and brand manufacturers. Prices range from as low as $50 dollars to over $2000 dollars. The saying “You get what you pay

for” is true in the case of vacuum cleaners. A $2000 dollar vacuum will tend to have a lot more cleaning power than a $50 dollar vacuum.

A relatively new concept is the self-operating vacuum cleaner. These machines are considered to be small robots that do not need to be pushed to work.

With one click of a button, the machine takes off on its mission around the room. Once it hits a wall or other obstacle, it will turn and go in a different

direction. It has special sensors that will keep it from falling down stairs. Some come with invisible walls, which send a signal to the robot that keeps it

from passing through the wall. Others can be programmed to vacuum on a set schedule every day. It is important to empty the dirt receptacle

occasionally as it will not pick up debris very well once its full. The self-operating vacuum cleaners clean better than one might expect given how small

they are. It is, however, recommended to use a normal upright vacuum cleaner on occasion to achieve a deeper cleaning. The manufacturers who

produce self-operating vacuum cleaners also have similar products to mop the floor or clean the pool. As time goes on, more and more machines similar

to the self-operating vacuum will be created to make life easier.

Robotic Vacuum Cleaners, Sit Back, Relax and Let Them Do the Work

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As technology continues to develop, life becomes easier and there are more choices. Not only are computers developing at breakneck speeds, but even

household appliances such as vacuum cleaners are evolving. Have you even heard of a robot vacuum, well you will soon enough. What are robotic

vacuum cleaners, these battery powered creatures roam the floors of your home or office looking for dust and debris. They are designed to make life

easier for you by vacuuming any dirt in its path.

Robot vacuums were invented by Electrolux and introduced into the consumer marketplace in 2001, then came Roomba vacuums, they perfected these

cordless vacs and took them to the next level. So what can these types of vacuums do for you? Imagine this scenario, you come from a hard day at

work, the kids come home with dirt all over their shoes tracking it all over your clean carpets. That would drive most parents crazy, but with the help of

the Roomba vac you can read your newspaper and lets the robot do all the work for you.

You’re probably wondering how this all work? Roomba’s vacuum cleaners use a 3 stage cleaning system, that are designed to clean the edge of your

walls, under neath all types of furniture and anywhere else it detects dirt. That’s right these robots can actually detect dirty areas on your carpet or floor

and do extra cleaning in those areas to clean it effectively. And these vacuums actually have a brain, they can detect areas such as stairs and actually

avoid them! They use infrared sensors to detect the stairs in your home and stay away from them.

Comparison Of Vacuum Cleaners

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Vacuum cleaners differ because people have varying needs and individual taste. Comparison of vacuum cleaners will unfold different advantages and

disadvantages, but basically one will choose a favorite brand to another. Various vacuum cleaners are the outcome of ingenuity and inventive skills of

designers to alleviate hardship in doing household chores.

Vacuum cleaners had been invented to remove soil particles in areas such as floors, walls and gaps, and carpets. Actually there is no actual sucking that

takes place in the mechanism and technical concept of a vacuum cleaner. It is the result of low pressure happening inside tube, making a negative

pressure to pull things through it.

Thus, lighter weight of small particles like dusts are the main things collected by vacuum cleaners. The method on how trapping of dirt is collected

comprises the major component of the equipment.

Here are the comparisons of different vacuum cleaners in terms of configurations:

CONVENTIONAL VACUUM CLEANERS:

Upright and Canister Vacuum Cleaners are common commercial and residential vacuum cleaners where the dirt is suctioned through and collected

either by bag or by the collecting section of the vacuum cleaner (bagless). Rotating brush agitates soil residues and dust molecules and before they start

spreading, the vacuum cleaner has made its job. Power operated, these kinds have electric motors to run, either single or dual.

WET/DRY VACUUM CLEANERS:

These are special kinds designed to seep even spills of liquid. It has good exhaust system to reverse the flow of air for purposes of unclogging the tubes

after significant use.

BACK PACK VACUUM CLEANERS

These are kinds used commercially because it can be carried around to different areas for convenient transfer and cleaning. Back Pack vacuum cleaners

are strapped in the back and designed for ease of use without causing strain to the user.

CENTRALIZED VACUUM CLEANERS:

Installed as part of the utility provision of the building, it has a general collection centralized for heavy-duty use. Cleaning of the accumulated dirt only

require yearly disposal because of the large size of the bag. Centralized vacuum cleaners have higher suctioning force compared to the rest.

ROBOTIC

The most recent and computerized domestic robots in form of vacuum cleaners are robotic vacuum cleaners. It has very attractive feature, which is a

revolutionary promise of giving ease to household cleaning and maintenance. It can do cleaning by itself once programmed on a specified schedule.

Robotic Vacuum Cleanerse

2008-06-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

The robotic vacuums of today are very impressive. The entire concept that a vacuum can clean a house without a person controlling it is a very appealing

idea. These robotic vacuums, however, are able to do more than clean.

In the early days of robotic vacuums, the vacuum would travel aimlessly around the house bumping into and off of furniture as it went. After a while,

the battery in the vacuum would get low, and the vacuum would stop and beep, requiring it to be located by the homeowner.

Now, however, robotic vacuums are able to remember the house layout, so they no longer bump into things. These vacuums always find their way back

to the base, as well, so they no longer stop and beep to be located when the battery fails. The robotic vacuums will even dump their dirt into the

receptacle without any assistance.

The iRobot Romba is seen as being the most popular vacuum in America today. Based on which model the consumer buys, this vacuum can cost as little

as $100 to over $350. All robotic vacuums retail from around $75 all the way up to well over $1000.

Most robotic vacuums are meant to supplement the regular vacuum. However, with all the advances in the technology of these vacuums, they are

getting better and better at handling the brunt of the vacuuming in a house. While impressive in their own right, they are continuing to advance, and they

will only be better in the future.

Roomba Vacuum Cleaner

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Roomba Vacuum CleanerThe Roomba vacuum cleaner is made and sold by thecompany iRobot.
The Roomba was released in 2002with updates and new models released in 2003, 2004,and so on.
These days, millions of them have beensold, making it the most successful and popular robotic vacuum cleaner thus far.
Acessories 1.
Remote control - This allows you to control the Roomba remotely.
2.
Schedular - This allows you to programyour Roomba to clean house on your schedule, even ifyou are out.
The schedular can also update a pre-2.
1Roomba robot to the 2.
1 software.
3.
Homebase - This is where the Roomba willautomatically return for recharging.
4.
Virtual wall - This is used for keepingthe Roomba out of certain areas.
5.
OSMO - This is a dongle that attachesto the serial port of the Roomba.
DescriptionThe Roomba is a disc, 13 inches in diameter and lessthan 4 inches high.
A large contact sensing bumperis mounted on the front half of the unit, with aninfrared sensor located at the top front center.
Acarrying handle is fitted at the top of it as well.
Depending on the model Roomba you select, it cancome with one or two infrared transmitter units.
The first and second generation Roomba models needed to be told the size of the room through theuse of three small buttons, although this is nowno

longer required with newer Roomba generations.
The Roomba operates with internal nickel metalhyrdide batteries and requires being recharged ona regular basis from a wall plug, although the

newergenerations have a home base where they will automatically find and go to when they need to chargethemselves.
Using the newer generations of Roomba consists ofcarrying it wherever you would like to start, pressing the power button, then pressing eitherclean,

spot, or max.
Whenever the clean, spot, or max button is pressed,the Roomba will pause for second or two and thenbegin work.
The contact bumper on the machine will detect bumping into walls and furniture, andthe virtual walls will limit the Roomba to theareas that you desire.
There are also 4 infraredsensors on the bottom that will prevent the Roombafrom falling offer of ledges or down the steps.
Unlike the Electrolux models, the Roomba doesn’tmap out the rooms they are cleaning, as they instead rely on bumping into objects or walls to

mapthings out.
The design is based on MIT technologythat robots should be like insects and equippedwith simple controls mechanisms tuned to theirenvironments.
After a little bit of time, the Roomba will beginto sing.
If it detects a homebase, it will try toreturn to it.
At that point, you simply removethe dust bin from the rear of the robot and emptyit into a trash can.
Keep in mind that the Roomba isn’t designed fordeep pile carpet.
It is however, low enough togo under your bed and most other furniture.
Ifat any time it senses that it has become stuck, it will no longer sense the floor underneath it,it will stop and begin to sing until you come andfind it.
If you are tired of vacuuming and simply don’t wantto do it anymore, a Roomba vacuum cleaner will bea great investment.
You can sit back and relax, orgo out and do things while the Roomba does all ofthe vacuuming for you.

A Guide for Purchasing a Quality Vacuum Cleaner

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There are thousands of types of vacuum cleaners and it can be confusing to know what type you should buy. Vacuums also vary greatly in price. Is it

worth spending several hundred dollars on a vacuum or will a cheaper one suffice?

The first thing you must determine is what you are planning to do with your vacuum. Is it simply to vacuum the rugs in your apartment? Do you have a

large home with a lot of carpeting? Do you want a vacuum that can operate on wood floors as well?

Vacuums can also be used in vehicles or in shops. It is important to determine what you want to do with your vacuum cleaner before you set out to

purchase one.

Most vacuum cleaners are upright models now. However, there are still a few canister type models available. The better quality vacuums now come in

the bagless variety. This means that all the dirt collected goes into a container which you simply remove from the vacuum and dump into the trash.

Although vacuums with this feature typically cost more, you will save in the long run because you will not have to purchase vacuum bags. Also, it is a lot

more convenient than realizing at the last minute that you are out of bags.

There are newer vacuum cleaners which don't use suction at all. Many people believe they work better than the suction type vacuums because they can

not become clogged.

Hate to vacuum? Perhaps you should consider one of the robotic vacuum cleaners. They vacuum the floor on their own. They usually are round and

have a hard time getting into corners so you might have to follow up with some spot cleaning every now and then.

If you want to purchase a nice vacuum don't forget about the extras. A quality vacuum will have an indicator that lets you know when the bag is full, if it

is not bagless. A good vacuum should have headlights and be able to be adjusted depending on the height of your carpet or bare floor. The vacuum

should also have accessories such as a curtain brush and a detachable crevice cleaner. It is even better if all these attach to the vacuum for easy storage.

Check to see what type of warranty the vacuum has. You will always need a vacuum cleaner and it is worth having one that is built to last and has a

company who is willing to stand behind it.

Perhaps the most important factor in buying a quality vacuum cleaner is whether or not it is easy to find replacement vacuum cleaner parts and vacuum

filters. It is easy to find Hoover parts for your vacuum but a lot more difficult to find store brand parts.

There are many vacuums to chose from. Vacuums even come in custom colors now! By taking into consideration these simple items, you are likely to

find a vacuum that you are happy with for a long time.

Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaners

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The wet/dry vacuum cleaner combination is no longer just for a workshop. Over the years, the driving technology has improved a great deal, deceasing

the loud screeching noises that the vacuums were so very well known for.

When you go out to buy a wet/dry vacuum with both wet and dry features, you'll need to know some of the details. The vacuums are available in a

variety of different sizes and HP, ranging from 6 - 22 gallons and 1.5 - 10.5 HP. The capacity of the wet/dry vacuum should match your needs in the

following ways:

1. Wall mount vacuum cleaners with 1.5 HP and a 1 gallon tank are available for quick and easy cleanup jobs, such as spills. You can also hang this type

on the wall as well, which will keep it out of your way.
2. The six gallon vacuum cleaners are ideal for smaller jobs and are easy to maneuver and store than a larger model. Keep in mind however, that the

smaller wet/dry cleaners are much louder and also more prone to tipping over. The smaller the tank, the more often you will have to stop and empty it.
3. Higher capacity models are recommended if you have a workshop or garage where larger spills occur. A large capacity tank will decrease the number

of times that you have to empty the tank.

When you looking for the best wet/dry vacuum for you, you should look for the following options and features:
- The pleated cartridge filter. It is reusable and rinseable, and provides more filtration area than the flat filter and it doesn't need to be removed when you

switch from the dry to wet vacuum function.
- An automatic shut off device is available with most newer vacuum cleaners. This mechanism will shut off the motor automatically once the tank has

become full of water, which will prevent it from overflowing.
- A wide set of wheels will help to prevent the vacuum from tipping over.
- There are some of the larger models that have the ability to convert to a leaf blower, which is great if you have a lot of trees in your yard.
- Some wet/dry models have a built in pump attachment as well. This type of attachment will allow the water to be pumped through a garden hose that

attaches to the vacuum.
- A handy drain valve or sprout will make emptying the vacuum cleaner a snap. If it doesn't have this feature, you'll have to remove the lid and tip the

vacuum to the side to empty all of the water. Depending on how much water you have in the tank, you could easily and accidentally spill it on the floor.

The smaller types of wet/dry vacuums normally don't have a spout or drain option.
- Wider hoses and floor nozzles are great to have as well. The wider the hose and nozzle are, the less likely the vacuum will be to clog up on you.

If they aren't provided with the vacuum you decided on, you can also purchase the following attachments:
1. Crevice tool - this handy tool will easily get in tight corners and around floor edges.
2. Extension wand - this will make the hose longer for hard to reach areas.
3. Hose couplings - this will join the extension wand to the hose.
4. Combination nozzle - this helps to alleviate the need of switching nozzles before you switch functions.
5. Gulper nozzle - this tool is ideal for the wet vacuum function.
6. Round brush - this nifty little tool is ideal for scrubbing.
7. Cleaning kit - this kit will include everything you need to clean delicate upholstery and other areas as well.

Koolvac Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

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Automatically cleans your floors while you kick back and enjoy life.
Cleaning the floor was never so easy. The ultimate Robot Vacuum Cleaner. With the press of a button this fantastic vacuum cleaner meticulously cleans

your floors. You just type in the room size and tell your Koolvac how big the room is, in its digital robot language and let it go tirelessly about its work.

The Koolvac vacuum cleaner vacuums the floor and automatically shuts itself off when it's done.

The Koolvac Robotic Vacuum Cleaner can run on low-pile carpet as well as hardwood, linoleum, tile, concrete, and other hard surfaces typical of the

super-futuristic architecture you'd expect in a home that's vacuumed by robots. It has high-tech sensors to detect obstacles and keep it from falling

down stairs. It's compact enough to clean the tightest corners, and it has an easy-to-empty reusable dustbin. No bags are required!

Koolvac Vacuum Cleaner's compact build helps it fit into tight spaces, while side brushes clean tough-to-reach spots. Sensors detect obstacles like walls

and edges and prevent the Koolvac from tumbling down a flight of stairs. It has a reusable dustbin that's easy to empty; no bags are required. The

vacuum cleaner can run on hardwood, linoleum, tile, concrete, and other hard surfaces, as well as low-pile carpets.

The History of the Production of Vacuum Cleaners

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he science behind the production of vacuum cleaners is a few centuries old. As early as 1698, when Thomas Savery patented the steam engine, he

created a vacuum while trying to figure out how to pump water from mines. In 1712, Thomas Newcomen used a vacuum to run the atmospheric steam

engine. From these early beginnings, came the science behind the vacuum cleaner.

Early Versions of the Vacuum Cleaner

The production of vacuum cleaners was an important technology to many designers. In 1868, Ives W. McGaffey created the Whirlwind vacuum

cleaner. Although it was lightweight and small, it was hard to use because a person was required to use a hand crank while pushing the vacuum around.

Its cost was $25, which was considered very expensive in those days.

Corinne Dufour, received the patent for an electric carpet sweeper and dust gatherer in 1900. Soon afterwards, H. Cecil Booth patented a filter system

for vacuums. In 1905, Walter Griffiths created a small and mobile vacuum that used a bellows system for suction with a removable pipe for which there

were nozzle attachments for different cleaning jobs. It was called "Griffith's Improved Vacuum Apparatus for Removing Dust from Carpets". The

design and production of vacuum cleaners did not slow down.

David T. Kenney received nine patents for his vacuum inventions and, in 1919, he founded the "Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers' Association". James

Spangler designed a vacuum using a pillowcase, fan and a box. He developed a rotating brush accessory which he patented in 1908 and later sold to

"Hoover Harness and Leather Goods Factory". In 1951, Hoover released a hovercraft style vacuum that floated on the exhaust of its motor and these

remain a collectors item.

Vacuum Motor is Standardized

During the 1950s, the design of the motor became standardized and the same motor type was used until 1980. Wheels were added for rolling the

canister bodies and the handles were redesigned for easier handling. After WWII, vacuums became available to everyone.

Varieties of Vacuum Cleaner Styles

Modern technology has added to the production of vacuum cleaners. There are now varieties of vacuum styles suitable for everyone. Styles include

upright, canister, wet vacuums, dry vacuums, small, hand held, specialty, central vacuums, robotic and drum. Important developments in vacuum

cleaner technology include the HEPA filtration system, bagless and cyclonic action. In 2000, robotic vacuum cleaners hit the market. Robotic vacuums

can clean an area by themselves by moving in patterns across a floor and most are for private homes. Another recent development, in 2004, brought

back the hovering vacuum. This hovering vacuum called the Airider, was created by a British company and is small and lightweight.

It will be interesting to see how much the production of vacuum cleaners will continue to evolve in the modern age. People will always want to clean

their floors and the vacuum cleaner has proven to be such a useful tool that it is not likely that the design and production of vacuum cleaners will ever

end.

Cleaning Chores Made Easy With Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

2008-06-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Since modern technology gets better and better, life will get sweeter as well. Not only are computers going at stunning speeds, even household

appliances such as vacuum cleaners are developing. If you've never heard of a robotic vacuum cleaner, you will shortly. These tiny mechanized battery

creatures will meander around your house, seeking for dust and debris. They are designed to do your vacuuming for you and make life easier than ever

before.

The robot type vacuums were fabricated by Electrolux then introduced into the consumer market in 2001. Afterwards came Roomba vacuums, as they

perfected cordless vacuums and took the vacuum industry to the amazing level of easy housekeeping. If you're wondering how they can better your life,

just ponder coming home after a distressing day at the workplace, begin to unwind to watch TV, and getting the robot do all of the vacuuming for you.

The Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner utilizes a 3 stage cleanup system that is designed to clean the edge of your walls, beneath your furniture, and

anywhere it finds dirt. These robots can really determine the dirty regions on your carpeting or floorings and do extra cleanup in those particular areas to

get the job done right.

These vacuums in reality have a learning ability of sorts, so they can detect such things as stairs and remain clear of them. By using invisible sensors to

determine the stairs in your dwelling, they can quickly and easily remain away from them.

After the room as been made clean, the robotic vacuum cleaner will go back to the recharge location to reenergize its electric battery for the next time

you want to utilize it. Retain in mind that Roomba isn't the only company that builds robotic vacuum cleaners, there are other brands worth checking out

such as Karcher RC 3000, EVac, and Samsung. The hottest type however, is the iRobot Roomba 570.

When you look at things as a whole, you will quickly see that robotic vacuum cleaners are the way to go. In addition, they can save you a lot of money in

the long run, and a lot of time and effort. When you buy a robotic vacuum cleaner, you can rest assured that your days of vacuuming are done with.

In regards to price, the price will change depending on the model you pick out. You can acquire Roomba models these days for under 100 dollars, which

is perfect for those on a budget. Today, you don't need to spend a huge amount to obtain a robot vacuum cleaner for your household.

To obtain your robotic vacuum cleaner, you can look at your local store or online. You can discover some cheap deals on the Internet, with hundreds of

stores at your fingertips. All you have to do is choose the model you like foremost, purchase it, then observe it execute all of your vacuuming.

Housework Made Easy With Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

2008-06-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Since technology becomes better and improved, life will become better as well. Not only are computing devices going at impressive speeds, even

household appliances such as vacuum cleaners are evolving. If you've never heard of a robotic vacuum cleaner, you will in the near future. These small

robotic battery powered creatures will roam about your house, looking for dust and debris. They are designed to do your vacuum cleaning for you and

make living easier than ever before.

The robot type vacuums were fabricated by Electrolux then introduced into the consumer market in 2001. Afterwards came Roomba vacuums, as they

perfected cordless vacuums and took the vacuum industry to the amazing level of easy housekeeping. If you're wondering how they can better your life,

just ponder coming home after a distressing day at the workplace, begin to unwind to watch TV, and getting the robot do all of the vacuuming for you.

The Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner utilizes a 3 stage cleanup system that is designed to clean the edge of your walls, beneath your furniture, and

anywhere it finds dirt. These robots can really determine the dirty regions on your carpeting or floorings and do extra cleanup in those particular areas to

get the job done right.

These vacuums actually have a learning ability of sorts, so they can ascertain such matters as stairs and stay clear of them. By using infrared sensors to

detect the steps in your house, they can quickly and easily remain away from them.

After the room as been made clean, the robotic vacuum cleaner will go back to the recharge location to reenergize its electric battery for the next time

you want to utilize it. Retain in mind that Roomba isn't the only company that builds robotic vacuum cleaners, there are other brands worth checking out

such as Karcher RC 3000, EVac, and Samsung. The hottest type however, is the iRobot Roomba 570.

When you look at the overall picture, you will quickly see that robotic vacuum cleaners are the way to go. In addition, they can save you a lot of money

in the long run, and a lot of time and effort. When you buy a robotic vacuum cleaner, you can rest assured that your days of vacuuming are over.

In regards to price, the price will change depending on the model you pick out. You can acquire Roomba models these days for under 100 dollars, which

is perfect for those on a budget. Today, you don't need to spend a huge amount to obtain a robot vacuum cleaner for your household.

To obtain your robotic vacuum cleaner, you can look at your local shop or the Internet. You can find some cheap bargains on the Internet, with

hundreds of shops at your fingertips. All you have to do is select the model you like best, purchase it, then watch it do all of your vacuuming.

Software Design

2008-06-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Our code uses a 4 millisecond time base to precisely determine system timing and ensure that a new analog conversion will be ready in each new

interrupt. When the power is initially turned on to the system, a 5 second pause takes place before any of the motors start. Because of the sudden jerk

caused by the motors, we placed an additional 2 second delay on the start of the collision detection system.

The collision detection system uses Port A on the Mega32 chip, and cycles between Port A0 and Port A1, which are connected to the x axis and y axis of

the accelerometer, respectively. The port switching takes place every interrupt cycle, and samples the output of the accelerometer. Threshold conditions

are put in place such that if a spike output occurs from the accelerometer, the system captures the spike and ignores any consequential spikes afterward

for a set amount of time. If only the y axis produces a spike, it is clear that a head-on collision has occurred. An off-center collision occurs if the y axis

and x axis spike is initially above or below a certain threshold voltage. As soon as a threshold value is reached, a collision is considered to have occurred,

and the ADC is ignored until the appropriate turning action is performed by the robotic vacuum.

To control the DC motor that controls the brush, a pwm pulse is generated, using a 50ms period. For 5ms out of 50 ms, Port D is turned on, turning the

motor on. For 45 ms out of 50 ms, Port D is turned off. Surprisingly, only this 5 ms pulse is necessary to power our motor and give it enough torque to

spin nicely. The reason the motor had to be pulsed is that the motor is ridiculously powerful for its purpose, so aside from connecting it to a lower voltage

power supply, which was not feasible, we had to pulse the motor. The pulsing also helped with heat issues that are explained the Hardware Design

section.

Two functions exist, forward() and backward(), which consist of a series of output states for the stepper motors. It is possible to spin each motor

independently of the other using these two functions. Stepper Motor Data Sheet, provided in the References section, was used to determine the exact

sequence of outputs to the stepper motor.

In order to turn the unit after a collision, one of the wheels is set to reverse while the other wheels remains moving forwards. We actually noted that the

IntelliBot group used similar stepper motor code to what we needed. Our stepper motors have a slightly different sequence than the motors used by the

IntelliBot team, but they used a clever approach, which we imitated, to their forward() and backward() outputs. During a spin, the sweeper brush is

turned off so as not to interfere with the spin. We calculated that there are about 48 steps per revolution, taking into account the angle per step of the

motor and the circumference of the wheel attached to the motor. With that in mind, we decided not to have the robot turn exactly 90 degrees no matter

what kind of collision occurs. If an off-center collision occurs, the unit will spin 80 steps, or about 75 degreees. In a head on collision, the unit will spin

110 steps, or about 103 degrees. These numbers were somewhat arbitrary, but we wanted the angles to be large enough to avoide a second collision with

the same obstacle.

Initial testing of the stepper control functions was performed using the STK500 board. Because the board had pushbuttons , we used the pushbuttons to

test out the turning functions, as well as the optimal speeds we would want our unit to run at. Initial calibration took place before the individual

components were placed onto the body of the robot.

Results

Even with our simple algorithm, our robot is able to cover large floor areas as well as find its way into and out of small corners. As the robot randomly

traverses the room, the sweeper installed underneath manages to pick up a significant amount of dirt. Emptying the catch bin after a few minutes of

testing is proof that although the sweeper might not be picking up everything in sight it clearly pulls in enough grime to be considered a success.

There are, of course, occasions in which the robot behaves somewhat unpredictably. Early on in testing, scope outputs of the accelerometer after a

collision indicated that there would be a certain amount of uncertainty. This is because the waveform resulting from a collision is not a constant, but

instead the output is a damped oscillation with significant voltage swings above and below the mean. The frequency of this oscillation, however, was

relatively slow and a high sampling rate generally sufficed to catch the first spike, at which time we set a timer to ignore the rest of the oscillation, usually

about 100 milliseconds. With some tuning we were able to maximize the chance of detecting the correct direction from the accelerometer. Since our

algorithm is essentially a random walk through the room we decided that the occasional errors were acceptable.

Perhaps the most significant obstacle we faced was that of producing the necessary torque to reliably move the robot with the sweeper, which inherently

produced a large amount of friction. That friction, combined with our less than ideal wheels, foam board chassis, and the limitations of battery power,

was a huge headache at every stage of the design and remains the largest hindrance to the robot’s reliability. The help with this problem we scavenged

more powerful batteries from old radio controlled cars, spent hours fussing with the height of the sweeper off of the ground, experimented with

different traction methods on the wheels, and shifted weight around the body of the robot. However, the most significant design change was to add a

DC motor to help drive the sweeper brush while the robot moved forwards.

Since our robot was completely self contained and running off of its own power, safety was not as much an issue as if our project utilized a house

current power supply. There is, however, a relatively large amount of current sourced to the three motors which required that we use proper circuitry

capable of providing that current with no danger of burning themselves, the microcontroller, or the user, of course. The robot operates with no human

interaction and so the user interface consists of a simple switch. We programmed a ten second wait time after being turned on prior to starting to give

the user time to put down the robot before the wheels and sweeper begin to turn.

Conclusions

Since our robot essentially mimicked the random walk algorithm incorporated in the most common commercial automatic sweeper, the Roomba, we

can say from experience that the electronics required to implement such a design were certainly within our ability to reproduce for this project.

However, the mechanical aspects were very difficult to perfect in our rough prototype. Since commercial robots are manufactured from robust

materials it is no surprise that they would probably be more reliable than our home made sweeper robot. That being said, since the mechanical side of the

project became more of a challenge as time went on if we were to do this again we would start with more robust parts, specifically wheels, and be slower

to rush to the glue gun to stick things together.

Intellectual Property Considerations

We used the some of the movement and collision aspects of the Roomba, a robot sweeper that currently sells for around $300, but because we built our

robot without ever having actually used or taken apart a Roomba, and also because our robot uses accelerometers to detect collisions (the Roomba uses a

front bumper) our design is sufficiently different to avoid any patent or intellectual property issues. We would, however, like to thank the designers of

the IntelliBot (Spring, 2003) for the help that their final report provided with stepper motor operation. The driver code that we used for our own

steppers was very similar because we couldn’t see any cleaner or more efficient way to drive them.

IEEE Code of Ethics

We strove to comply in any way possible to the following ten IEEE ethical guidelines:

1. to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might

endanger the public or the environment.

Although our design is very safe because of the nature of its self contained power we were very cautious during the testing when using any significant

power supply to source current to our motors. When constructing our circuit, we were careful to avoid possible short circuits across the motors which

we know to be pulling the most significant current.

2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;

Our interest was to create a carpet sweeping robot. Since we worked independently from other groups this was not in conflict with others.

3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;

We documented in full the abilities and shortcoming of our project in this report.

4. to reject bribery in all its forms;

At no point did we consider bribery as a viable alternative to the completion of this project.

5. to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application, and potential consequences;

What we learned in designing this robot will be applicable to many other projects in the future and we will be more ready at that time to contribute and

improve.

6. to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after

full disclosure of pertinent limitations.

Again, this project served as a learning experience but at no time did we overstep the boundaries of safety given our current knowledge because we were

working on a relatively low power consumer device.

7. to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others;

We attempted to help other groups whenever we could offer it and certainly acknowledged any criticism from others that would help us towards our

final goal.

8. to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin;

No persons were treated unfairly during the course of this project.

9. to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;

At no point was the construction of our project driven by malicious motives.

10. to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.
We hope that allowing public web access to this report with help future semesters of students interested in pursuing similar projects.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank everyone from ECE 476 that spent time in the lab towards the end of the semester because everyone helped us out either

morally or technically. Certainly worth mentioning however, are Professor Bruce Land, our TA Ryan Peterson, and all of the other TAs who combined

to keep the lab open almost whenever I could get myself to Phillips to work and provide a continuous supply of answers to our never ending questions.

Thanks also to anyone out there who puts schematics of their circuits online for the public to use (especially past 476 people, including the makers of the

IntelliBot). I can’t imagine what it would be like to design a complicated system without all of the information that’s out there today.

Hardware Design

2008-06-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

The body of the robotic vacuum is composed of a circular piece of foam board, onto which all the components are attached. Along the diameter of the

circle are the two stepper motors and wheels. The motors are mounted to the underside of the unit with aluminum brackets and the wheels are glued

onto the shaft of the stepper motors. At the rear of the robotic vacuum lies the third supporting wheel, which spins freely in all directions. All the wheels

were taken from an old, broken office chair. The supporting wheel’s shaft, which points vertically, is secured with hot glue so the rear wheel does not

wobble as it turns. Figure 4 shows the labeled physical components placed on top of the robotic vacuum.

Because the body of the robotic vacuum lies several inches above the ground, foam board bumpers were created to nearly touch the floor so that a low-

lying obstacle could be detected, as shown in Figure 5. Inch tall bumpers were also added to the top of the unit to prevent a collision with an obstacle

above the body of the robot. We did not want the robotic vacuum to get stuck under an obstacle or have the wires torn off as the unit tried freeing itself,

so we gave the wires and circuitry an overhead clearance.

We decided to use separate battery supplies to power the circuitry and the motors. The batteries capable of sourcing the most current were separated

from the circuitry only for precautionary purposes. We did not want some sort of drop in voltage or other discrepancy with the motor batteries to have

an adverse effect on the circuitry. The 9.7V motor batteries, which comprise most of the weight of the robotic vacuum, are mounted in the rear of the

unit, above the supporting wheel, to keep it balanced.

In addition to the stepper motors, which are used to move the robotic vacuum, we decided to motorize the carpet sweeper for several reasons. The

stepper motors did not have enough torque to push the robotic vacuum and the carpet sweeper at the same time. Also, a spinning brush could possibly

collect more garbage from the floor than a free-spinning brush. With these two considerations, a hole was drilled in the side of the sweeper through

which the shaft of the DC motor was placed and connected to the shaft of the circular carpet sweeper brush. The motor was mounted to the side of the

carpet sweeper body using foam board. Heat considerations were taken into account, and from prior experience with the stepper motors, we knew that

too much heat from the motors would melt any hot glue used to hold the motors, so foam board was glued together to physically hold the motor in place

and dissipate heat. Figure 6 shows the sweeper and motor setup. Software was used to control the speed of the spinning brush so that it would not

overheat the motor or break apart because of too much force. This control system is explained in the Software Design details.

The carpet sweeper is attached to the bottom of the base of the unit using foam board supports hot-glued together. The height of these supports was

adjusted to allow the sweeper brush to just barely touch the floor and pick up any garbage that it passes over. The spinning brush would definitely assist

the robotic vacuum’s forward movement, as it would basically provide for a third forward-spinning wheel. As explained in the Software Design section,

the sweeping brush only spins when the robotic vacuum is moving forward, so as to not interfere in the robotic vacuum’s turning capabilities.

The custom PC board was built to the specifications provided on the ECE 476 web page. An AT Mega32 MCU was placed on the board to allow the

robot to run completely independent of the STK500 board. The circuits necessary for the implementation of this project included an opto-isolated

amplifier circuit for the DC motor, and the use of two ULN2003 Darlington high-current amplifiers for the stepper motors. Because the stepper motors

are run with pulses rather than a continuous stream of current, like the DC motor, an opto-isolated circuit was not deemed necessary. Figure 7 shows the

pinout diagram for the ULN2003 chip. Pins 9 and 8 were connected to the positive and negative terminals of the 9.7V battery pack, respectively.

Appendix B shows the complete system schematic.

The accelerometer was hot-glued to the center of the foam-board body. With this placement, accurate readings of front and side collisions would be

detected. The 9V battery clip was placed off to the side to be able to power both the custom PC Board and the accelerometer. The PC Board can take

anywhere from 9V to 12V for power, and the accelerometer uses 3V as its input. With these restrictions in mind, we connected the 9V battery directly

to the custom PC Board, and used the 3V regulated output from the 9V battery clip to power the accelerometer. Figure 8 shows the pinout for the

MMA6261 x-y accelerometer.

When mounting the accelerometer, we debated filtering the output signal to reduce the level of noise coming from it. The noise, as seen in Figure 9, is

caused by the pulsed stepper motors and the spinning of the sweeping brush. We decided not to filter the output of the accelerometer for fears of

filtering out the collision spike, and decided instead to use threshold voltages to detect collisions. The background noise of the motors can be neglected,

and only if the accelerometer output passes certain threshold values is a collision detected. Figure 9 shows the x and y-axis outputs from the

accelerometer, read with the oscilloscope. The top output displays the x-axis, the left and right directions of the robot, and the bottom output represents

the y-axis accelerometer, the forward and backward directions, while all onboard motors are running. Clearly, the movement of the motors cause a

larger amplitude signal in the y direction than the x direction. There are currently no collision spikes on the screen output, but when a collision occurs, a

clear spike can be seen on the screen. The zero-g output for both axes is approximately 1.48V according to the MMA6261 data sheet, and both signals

are centered around that value.

Things we tried which did not work.

Initially, we wanted the robotic vacuum to have 4 wheels, two driving wheels and two supporting wheels. Our intention was to use a potentiometer and

use the analog-to-digital converter to convert the voltage drop across the potentiometer into a precise direction for our unit. One of the main issues with

achieving this goal was detecting the direction of the wheel using the potentiometer. Using a standard chair wheel, we hot-glued the metal free-spinning

shaft to the wheel so that the wheel could not spin separately from the shaft. Then we glued the potentiometer to the end of the wheel and supported the

potentiometer in a way such that when the wheel turned, the potentiometer dial was turned by the shaft.The main reason this approach failed was

because the wheel needed to be perfectly vertical in order to spin freely without the free-spinning shaft. This was unattainable using foam board, so we

machined several pieces of metal for our purposes to glue onto the foam board. Because the metal was to be mounted on foam board, and the other

wheels were not perfectly aligned, this approach failed again.

Our last attempt at using a fourth wheel was to create a body for the unit machined entirely out of a circular piece of metal. This would ensure that the

wheels would be perfectly aligned. However, after visiting the machine shop, the only available piece of scrap metal that was suited for our purposes was

a steel “donut,” which had a hollow center. This piece of metal was machined correctly, but the weight of the entire robot proved to be too much for the

stepper motors to be able to drive. Had a suitable piece of aluminum been found, the weight of the metal might not have been an issue. After this final

attempt, however, the idea of determining direction was scrapped. It was decided that even with the inconsistencies in the stepper motor torques and

wheel slippages, because we decided to use a random walk technique, the exact direction of the robotic vacuum was inconsequential.

As explained earlier, the attempt to use a standard 9V battery to power the stepper motors failed because the battery could not source enough current to

the motors. We even tried an array of 9V batteries in parallel, but the power provided was still not enough to drive the entire weight of the unit. Each 9V

battery supposedly has about 200 ohms of resistance, so using four batteries in parallel results in an equivalent resistance of 50 ohms. This resistance only

allows 9/50 = .18 amps of current to flow to the motors, which is definitely not enough to move our robot.

Another attempt at powering the motors was made with D-cell batteries. 6 batteries were added in series to provide a 9V supply with enough current to

spin the stepper motors. The torque provided by these batteries was somewhat more than that provided by the 9V batteries, but the sheer weight of all 6

batteries counteracted any benefits. We realized that we needed current from a compact set of powerful batteries. We acquired two 9.7V 1600mAh

rechargeable NiMH battery packs, which we connected in parallel to provide a theoretical 3200 mAh of current to our motors. This final attempt at

satisfying our power requirement succeeded, and further testing could be performed.

As explained earlier, our attempts at running the carpet sweeper without a powered brush failed because of the lack of torque on the part of the stepper

motors. By using a DC motor to turn the brush, the stepper motors were no longer responsible for turning the brush, so that problem was solved after

some modifications to the carpet sweeper case to accommodate the motor shaft.

With apporximiately one week remaining before our project due date it looked as though the robot was coming together quickly. We had overcome

most of the power issues and had even mounted the sweeper, although it was slightly too high off the ground to be effective. Because things were going

well we wanted to add to our project and decided to implement a wireless base station that the robot would be able to locate and return to after a

designated amount of time. This would have been a proof of concept exercise to show the feasibilty of an automatic recharge station. To implement the

base station we planned to use ultrasonic transducers: there would be one transducer at the base station emitting 40kHz pulses and three more

transducers mounted on the robot to detect the pulse. By evaluating the time difference between the arrival of the pulse at the three robot transducers

we planned to have the robot turn towards the base station and return there. Unfortunately, the mechanical nature of our project made the robot's basic

function unpredicatable in the days before our demo and we were forced to abandon the base station to fix problems inherent to the sweeping ability of

the robot. However, had we continued work with the base station the biggest problems would have been creating enough power at the base station to be

readable from a distance and that the ultrasonic transducer signals were very directional and needed to be scattered.

Towards the completion of the project, a thin, rectangular sheet of iron was placed around the front of the robotic vacuum to be used as a large bumper,

capable of hitting obstacles near to the floor and obstacles an inch above the robotic vacuum’s circuitry. This metal bumper added too much weight for

the stepper motors to drive, so it was removed.

High Level Design

2008-06-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Rationale and sources of the project idea

Our project was inspired by an existing robotic vacuum cleaner, the Roomba®. Current robotic vacuum cleaners on the market, produced by iRobot

and Electrolux, can cost up to $1700. The idea of a designing and building a device that can perform the same functions as the existing market brands on

a budget of $50 was a challenge that we wanted to take on.

We had an idea of the supplies and equipment available to us and realized that our robot could be built using an accelerometer, several motors and a

microcontroller, among various other pieces of equipment. We considered obstacle avoidance, but realized that IR sensors would be too expensive to

implement and would not be necessary. A slight collision with an obstacle could be detected by our accelerometer, and the appropriate response could be

programmed with our microcontroller.

Because we are using stepper motors for our bot, it is theoretically possible to determine the distance traveled by each wheel and perform room size

calculations, which could have been inputted to an algorithm to better cover the room. However, we discovered a torque problem when we realized that

the wheels sometimes slip on the carpet surface, and other times do not move at all. Because of the torque inconsistencies, proper distance determination

would not have been possible, so our only option for covering an entire room was to use a random walk in which the robotic vacuum collides with an

obstacle and heads off in a different direction until the room is vacuumed.

Initially, this bot was designed with only a carpet-sweeping function in mind. A carpet sweeper, which picks up trash as it is swept across the floor, is not

a motorized device. If the carpet sweeper did not satisfactorily pick up trash off the floor, we would motorize it to spin using a DC motor. After some

testing, we decided to motorize the sweeper for other reasons.

The 9V battery clip can hold one 9V battery. The clip contains a 3V output, which is connected to the accelerometer's Vcc connection. The Mega32

MCU is directly connected to the battery on the battery clip.

The signal from the accelerometer is inputted into the MCU's analog to digital converter. The x-axis output is sent into port A0, and the y-axis output is

sent into port A1 on the Mega32. After several calculations are made, the MCU sends the appropriate commands to the stepper motors and DC motor.

The stepper motors and DC motor are connected to a 9.7V 3200mAh battery pack due to the current demands of the motors. The stepper motors are

used to drive the robotic vacuum, so wheels are attached to the axels. The DC motor controls the spinning carpet sweeper brush.

Hardware tradeoffs

The initial design of the robotic vacuum included two DC motors as the driving motors. However, their implementation would have been more difficult

than using the stepper motors because of the requirement of additional hardware like an H-bridge for each motor to allow forward and reverse motion.

DC motors are also imprecise, and it would have been very hard to determine how fast or far each wheel had turned without the use of Hall-effect

sensors. Because stepper motors can be very precisely controlled, and spun backwards and forwards without the need for any circuitry other than a

ULN2003 Darlington array chip, it was decided that stepper motors were ideal for this project.

We were caught off guard by the lack of torque produced by the stepper motors. As soon as we switched from a 7V power supply to a 9V battery, the

drop in torque was noticed immediately. The two stepper motors no longer had the capacity to move the weight of the robotic vacuum, so another

hardware tradeoff that was made was the procurement of higher-capacity batteries. Two 9.7V 1600mAh radio-controlled car battery packs were used

in parallel to provide the 3200mAh of current to the robotic vacuum’s motors.

Because the carpet sweeper brush is attached directly to a DC motor, a system was necessary to control the speed of the brush so that it does not

overheat the motor and surrounding systems, and so that the shaft of the sweeper brush does not violently separate from the shaft of the motor. A

pulse-width modulation system was developed to limit the speed of the DC motor, and is explained in the Software Design section.

Relationship of the design to available IEEE, ISO, ANSI, DIN, and other standards

Every device used in the development of our robot will have already passed IEEE compliance standards, so we do not need to worry about any such

technical issues. No other standards apply to this project.

Existing patents, copyrights, and trademarks which are relevant.

Our product, if placed on the market, would be in direct competition with similar vacuum cleaners produced by iRobot, Karcher, and Electrolux among

a variety of other brands. All the products are similar in size, shape and function. However, the algorithm used by our vacuum cleaner to vacuum a room

is unique to our bot. The Roomba®, iRobot’s vacuum, for example, follows a snail-shell pattern outwards from its current position and uses a type of

sonar until it finds a wall to follow, after which it bounces off of obstacles in a similar manner as our robot. The Electrolux brand uses a type of radar to

map a room and avoids colliding with obstacles altogether.

Our robotic vacuum is initially placed in part of a room, and just moves straight until an obstacle is detected, at which point it either turns left or right and

continues on its way. No patent, copyright, or trademark issues should be relevant to our bot because our algorithm and equipment are unique, to the

best of our knowledge.

Introduction

2008-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

As our final project, we decided to design and build a robot capable of vacuuming the floor of a room or area without any human interaction other than

just starting the unit. We realized the need for a cheap and convenient product that can be easily used to vacuum a room on its own, saving a person

valuable time.

The robotic vacuum is mainly built from a circular piece of foam board, as shown in Figure 1. The robotic vacuum uses a rotating brush underneath the

unit to vacuum a carpet as it passes over it, as shown in Figure 2. Two stepper motors, aligned across the center axis of the robot, are used to accurately

drive the robotic vacuum around a room. Because the body of the robot is circular and the steppers are placed along the center axis, the robot can spin in

place in any direction. One free-spinning chair wheel is located at the rear of the robot to keep it balanced.

The robot is programmed to sense the direction of a collision with an obstacle using an onboard accelerometer. If the robotic vacuum hits an object

head-on, it backs up and changes direction. If an obstacle is hit at an off-angle, the robotic vacuum turns away from the direction of the impact. The

robotic vacuum’s movement is based upon a random walk around a room, which theoretically will cover the entire area of a room given enough time.

The robot is programmed to drive straight until an obstacle is hit. At that point, it will turn and continue driving straight until another obstacle is hit, and

so on.

Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

2008-06-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

As technology gets better and better, life will geteasier as well.
Not only are computer going at impressive speeds, but even household appliances such as vacuum cleaners are evolving.
If you’venever heard of a robotic vacuum cleaner, you will soon.
These small robotic battery poweredcreatures will roam around your home, looking fordust and debris.
They are designed to do your vacuuming for you and make life easier than everbefore.
The robot type vacuums were invented by Electroluxthen introduced into the consumer market in 2001.
After that came Roomba vacuums, as they perfectedcordless vacuums and took things to the next playingfield.
If your wondering how they can improve yourlife, just think about coming home after a hardday at work, sitting down to watch television, andletting

the robot do all of the vacuuming for you.
The Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners use a 3 stagecleaning system that is designed to clean the edgeof your walls, underneath your furniture, and

anywhere else it detects dirt.
These robots canactually detect the dirty areas on your carpetor floors and do extra cleaning in those specificareas to get the job done right.
These vacuums actually have a brain of sorts, sothey can detect such things as stairs and stayclear of them.
By using infrared sensors to detectthe stairs in your home, they can quickly andeasily stay away from them.
After the room as been cleaned, the robotic vacuumcleaner will go back to the recharge station tocharge its battery for the next time you need touse it.
Keep in mind that Roomba isn’t the onlycompany that makes robotic vacuum cleaners, as other models worth checking out include KarcherRC 3000,

EVac, and Samsung.
The most populartype however, is the Roomba Discovery SE.
When you look at things as a whole, you’ll quicklysee that robotic vacuum cleaners are the way togo.
They can save you a lot of money in the longrun, and a lot of time and effort as well.
Whenyou get a robotic vacuum cleaner, you can rest assured that your days of vacuuming are over.
When it comes to price, the price will vary depending on the model you select.
You can findRoomba models these days for under 100 dollars, which is perfect for those on a budget.
Now days,you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a robotvacuum cleaner for your home.
To get your robotic vacuum cleaner, you can checkyour local store or online.
You can find someimpressive deals online, with hundreds of storesat your fingertips.

A robotic vacuum cleaner is a compact mechanical device that does not require a human to run it. Like pool cleaners, they are small, round, and move

automatically to pick up dirt. Advances in microchip technology have created these lightweight, cordless vacuums that rely on infrared technology to

help them avoid bumping into walls and to navigate around furniture. The round robotic vacuum is protected by a rubber bumper around its

circumference. Some models come with a wall-mounted storage bracket.

These second-generation "smart" vacuums have distinct advantages over their larger counterparts. They can be programed with the press of a button or

operated by a remote. They can vacuum under beds, tables, and chairs and along baseboards and corners more easily. Side brushes allow them to clean

more effectively in these areas. They do not require bags and can be programmed to work while you are away or asleep. The vacuum will shut itself off

when finished.

These robotic vacuums are also quieter than uprights or cannister vacuums. Typically, they run on rechargeable batteries. One robotic model on the

market will run for 90 minutes on one charge. The battery is included with purchase. It also has an adjustable timer. This allows you to program the

vacuum cleaner's run time based on the size of the room.

Additional features include "Spot Clean," which tells the device where to concentrate its efforts, (for small areas) and "Max Clean," which tells it that

heavy-duty cleaning is required. The vacuum will then make multiple passes.

Frequent vacuuming is important to maintain a healthy environment. Robotic vacuum cleaners operate like their larger counterparts. They will clean on

a variety of surfaces, including carpets, tile, and hardwood floors. They will also vacuum up many things, including food spills, pet hair, pet dander and

dust. Dust removal is particularly important because it may harbor dust mites. Dust mites are microscopic creatures that are known to aggravate

allergies, asthma, emphysema, and other breathing conditions in people.

The cost of robotic vacuum cleaners os becomming more and more reasonable as popularity and production increases. They are available in specialty

stores, department stores, and online.