DOMESTIC ROBOT

ROBOTS FOR HOME USES

Roomba

iRobot's Roomba is one of the most popular automatic vacuuming devices on the market. They clean by sizing up a room, and then traveling over floors in zig-zag pattern. Newer Roombas can be scheduled to vacuum during certain days and times.

Intelligent AGVs (i-AGVs)

Such as SmartLoader,^[91] SpeciMinder,^[92] ADAM,^[93] Tug^[94] Eskorta,^[95] and MT 400 with Motivity^[96] are designed for people-friendly workspaces. They navigate by recognizing natural features. 3D scanners or other means of sensing the environment in two or three dimensions help to eliminate cumulative errors in dead-reckoning calculations of the AGV's current position. Some AGVs can create maps of their environment using scanning lasers withsimultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and use those maps to navigate in real time with other path planning and obstacle avoidance algorithms. They are able to operate in c

omplex environments and perform non-repetitive and non-sequential tasks such as transporting photomasks in a semiconductor lab, specimens in hospitals and goods in warehouses. For dynamic areas, such as warehouses full of pallets, AGVs require additional strategies using three-dimensional sensors such as time-of-flight or stereovision cameras.

Dirty, dangerous, dull or inaccessible tasks

There are many jobs which humans would rather leave to robots. The job may be boring, such as domestic cleaning, or dangerous, such as exploring inside a volcano.^[97] Other jobs are physically inaccessible, such as exploring another planet,^[98] cleaning the inside of a long pipe, or performing laparoscopic surgery.^[99]


Space probes

Almost every unmanned space probe ever launched was a robot.^[100][101] Some were launched in the 1960s with very limited abilities, but their ability to fly and land (in the case ofLuna 9) is an indication of their status as a robot. This includes the Voyager probes and the Galileo probes, and others.

Telerobots


Teleoperated robots, or telerobots, are devices remotely operated from a distance by a human operator rather than following a predetermined sequence of movements, but which has semi-autonomous behaviour. They are used when a human cannot be present on site to perform a job because it is dangerous, far away, or inaccessible. The robot may be in another room or another country, or may be on a very different scale to the operator. For instance, a laparoscopic surgery robot allows the surgeon to work inside a human patient on a relatively small scale compared to open surgery, significantly shortening recovery time.^[99] They can also be used to avoid exposing workers to the hazardous and tight spaces such as in duct cleaning. When disabling a bomb, the operator sends a
 small robot to disable it. Several authors have been using a device called the Longpen to sign books remotely.^[102] Teleoperated robot aircraft, like the PredatorUnmanned Aerial Vehicle, are increasingly being used by the military. These pilotless drones can search terrain and fire on targets.^[103][104] Hundreds of robots such as iRobot's Packbot and the Foster-Miller TALON are being used in Iraq and Afghanistan by theU.S. military to defuse roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in an activity known as explosive ordnance disposal(EOD).^[105]A xplosive devicenear Camp Fallujah, Iraq

Automated fruit harvesting machines

Robots are used to automate picking fruit on orchards at a cost lower than that of human pickers.

Domestic robots



The Roomba domestic vacuum cleaner robot does a sing
le, menial job
Domestic robots are simple robots dedicated to a single task work in home use. They are used in simple but unwanted jobs, such asvacuum cleaning, floor washing, and lawn mowing. An example of a domestic robot is a Roomba.

HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE ROBOT

How to Build a Simple Robot

There are lots of complex, and time consuming ways to build a robot, But there are also many simple and easy ways. This is a great starting point for anyone who is interested, and wanting to get started with this hobby.

Steps

1. 
   1
   Get all of your supplies together. What you'll need is shown in the first picture.
2. 
   2
   Cut a hole in the tupperware box for the motor using a utility knife.
3. 
   3
   Glue your dime to the shaft of the motor with hot glue.
4. 
   4
   Glue the motor into the hole you cut for it, and glue anything else on that you want to.
5. 

   
   5
   Wire up a 9V battery holder, and anything else like a switch or lights,to do this you need to connect the positive ends of the battery holder and motor together, and do the same with the negative (-) ends.
6. 
   6
   Glue the lid of the tupperware box to your small cardboard box, again using hot glue.
7. 
   7
   Put the tupperware box on the lid, and the battery can be tucked inside the cardboard box and you're done!

How to Build a Robot at Home

Do you want to learn how to build your own robot? This is easy and quite cheap to do! The tutorial below will instruct you on how to build a BeetleBot, which moves very similarly to a Roomba. This is a great introductory robotics project for almost any age or experience level.

Steps

1. 
   1
   Fit the heat-shrink tubing to the wheel on the original motor. Cut a piece of the tubing just a little longer than each wheel, fit it onto the wheel and shrink it using a lighter or the soldering iron. You may wish to put a few layers in increasing diameters to really build up the “tires”.
   Ad
2. 
   2
   Glue the switches to the backside of the battery holder. Glue the switches to the back end of the battery holder on the flat side. This should be the end which the wires come out of. Place them at an angle in the corners, such that the contacts farthest from where the lever-looking metal bar goes into the device are touching at the center line of the device.
   

   • The levers, which are the switches themselves, should be at the outside, near the wires.
3. 
   3
   Place the metal strip. Place the 1”x3” strip of aluminum just behind the switches, center it, and then bend the excess down at a 45° angle. Glue it in place with hot glue. Let it set completely before moving on.
4. 
   4
   Attach the motors to the metal wings. Using hot glue, attach the motors to the bent down sections of metal such that the “tires” are touching the ground. You will want to pay attention to the charge markings on the motors, as the tires will need to go in opposite directions. Make sure that one motor is placed “upside down,” as compared to the other.
5. 
   

   
   
   5
   Form the back wheel. You will need a back wheel so that the robot doesn’t drag. Take a large paperclip and form it into the outline of a TARDIS or a house, with a medium-sized round bead at the peak. Place it at the opposite end from the protruding wires and hot glue the ends of the clip to the sides of the battery holder.
6. 
   6
   Solder the robot. You will need to use a soldering iron and solder to connect all of the electrical wires between the components of the robot. This must be done carefully in order to ensure that it works. There are several connections you will have to make:
   

   • First, solder the connection of the two switches.
   • Next, solder a small wire between the two center connections on the switches.
   • Solder two wires, one from the negative motor and one from the positive motor, to the final connection on the switch.
   • Solder a longer wire between the remaining connections on the motors (connecting the motors to each other).
   • Solder a longer wire between one of the back connections between the motor and the back section of the battery holder where the positive and negative charges meet.
   • Take the positive wire from the battery holder and solder it to the center, touching connections on the switches.
   • The negative wire from the battery holder will go to the center connection on one of the switches.
7. 
   7
   Create the feelers for the robot. Cut the rubber/plastic ends off of the spade connectors, open up two paper clips (until they form a shape like a bug’s feelers), and attach the spade connectors to the feelers with more heat-shrink tubing.
8. 
   8
   Attach the feelers to the switches and the servo motor. Attach the feelers to the switches using the spade connectors and glue (if you need it, they should clip or slip on just fine) then connect the servo motor directly to the center back of the battery holder.
9. 
   9
   Turn it on by putting in batteries. (If you want to you can program a remote from a remote controlled car and turn it on that way). The robot should move in much the same way a roomba does. It just won’t clean your floor. Unless you're that good. Congratulations! You've made your robot. Make sure to teach y

Things You’ll Need

• 2 small motors (these can be found in some toys and in electric toothbrushes)
• 2 SPDT or 3-way switches
• 1 AA battery holder (with space for 2 batteries)
• 1 piece of metal (roughly 1”x3”, aluminum works well)
• 2 spade connectors
• Heat-shrink tubing
• 1 small bead
• A handful of paper clips
• Two "servo" motors

How to Make a Robot – Getting Started

How to Make a Robot – Lesson 1: Getting Started

Lessons Menu:

• Lesson 1 – Getting Started
• Lesson 2 - Choosing a Robotic Platform
• Lesson 3 - Making Sense of Actuators
• Lesson 4 - Understanding Microcontrollers
• Lesson 5 - Choosing a Motor Controller
• Lesson 6 – Controlling your Robot
• Lesson 7 - Using Sensors
• Lesson 8 - Getting the Right Tools
• Lesson 9 - Assembling a Robot
• Lesson 10 - Programming a Robot

Getting Started

Welcome to the first installment of the Grand RobotShop Tutorial, a series of 10 lessons that will teach you how to make your own robot. This tutorial is aimed at anybody willing to get started in robotics and have a basic understanding of terms such as “voltage”, “current”, “motor”, and “sensors”. Although this might seem pretty basic, even people with previous robot building experience might find useful information regarding the general method of building a robot.

What is a robot?

There are many definitions of robot and no real consensus has been attained so far. We loosely define a robot as follows:

Robot: An electromechanical device which is capable of reacting in some way to its environment, and take autonomous decisions or actions in order to achieve a specific task.

This means that a toaster, a lamp, or a car  would not be considered as robots since they have no way of perceiving their environment. On the other hand, a vacuum cleaner that can navigate around a room, or a solar panel that seeks the sun, can be considered as a robotic system.

It is also important to note that the  “robots” featured in Robot Wars for instance or any solely remote controlled device would not fall under this definition and would be closer to a more complex remote controlled car.

Although this definition is quite general, it might need to evolve in the future in order to keep up with the latest advancement in the field. In order to get a sens of how robotics is rapidly growing, we suggest you take a look at the RobotShop History of Robotics.

Let’s get started

This series of tutorials is intended to guide you through the steps of building a complete mobile robot.

There are 10 lessons that will be released in the following 10 weeks.  Each lesson guides you through one step of making a general-purpose mobile robot.  This will enable you to build your very own mobile robot in order to perform a task of your choice. Each lesson will be illustrated with an example from RobotShop experience in producing the RobotShop Rover. The lessons are intended to be read one after the other and build upon the information gained.

STEP 1

The first step is to determine what your robot should do (i.e. what is its purpose in life). Robots can be used in almost any situation and are primarily intended to help humans in some way. If you are unsure of what you want your robot to do or simply want to concentrate your efforts on specific tasks, here are some ideas:

Knowledge & Learning

In order to build increasingly complex robots, most professionals and hobbyists use knowledge they have acquired when building previous robots. Instead of building one robot, you can learn how to use individual components with the objective of building your own “knowledge library” to use to undertake a larger, more complex design in the future.

Amusement & Companionship

Building a robot is in and of itself is fun and exciting. Robotics incorporates aspects of many disciplines including engineering (mechanical, electrical, computer), sciences (mathematics and physics) and arts (aesthetics) and users are free to use their imagination. Amusing others with your creations (especially if they are user-friendly and interactive) helps others to become interested in the field.

Competitions & Contests

Competitions give the project design guidelines and a due date. They also put your robot against others in the same class and test your design and construction skills. Although many competitions are specifically for students (elementary to university), there also exist open competitions where adults and professionals alike can compete.

Autonomous life form

Humans are natural creators and innovators. The next great innovation will be to develop a fully autonomous life form that rivals or surpasses ourselves in ability and perhaps creativity. This goal is still being accomplished in small steps by individuals, research organizations and professionals.

Domestic or Professional tasks

Domestic robots help liberate people from unpleasant or dangerous tasks and give them more liberty and security. Professional and Service Robots are used in a variety of applications at work, in public, in hazardous environments, in locations such as deep-sea, battlefields and space, just to name a few. In addition to the service areas such as cleaning, surveillance, inspection and maintenance, we utilize these robots where manual task execution is dangerous, impossible or unacceptable.  Professional and Service Robots are more capable, rugged and often more expensive than domestic robots and are ideally suited for professional and/or commercial use.

Security and Surveillance

Most mobile robots are used to venture into areas where humans either should not or cannot go. Robots of various sizes (either remote controlled, semi-autonomous or fully autonomous) are an ideal choice for these tasks.

Practical Example

We anticipate that most of you following this guide have the objective of building a robot for learning and knowledge, but also for sheer fun; though many will have a specific idea or project they want to materialize.

The last major consideration is budget. It is difficult to know exactly what people have in mind when they build their first robot; one might already want to build an autonomous snow removal robot, while another simply wants to make an intelligent clock. A simple programmable mobile robot might cost about $100 while a more complex can be several thousands of dollars.

In this exercise, we have chosen to make a mobile platform in order to get an understanding of motors, sensors, microcontrollers and programming, and to include a variety of sensors. We’ll keep the budget to about $200 to $300 since we want it to be fairly complete.