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Roomba

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Wii Roomba

Man Controls Roomba With Wii Balance Board, Atari-Era Surfin' USA Soundtrack


Ron Tajima has some time on his hands. And a Roomba. And a Wii Balance Board. See where we're going with this? Anyway, he put them all together, combined it with a Surfin' USA track that sounds like it was ripped from the 1980's, and now he can control the previously autonomous Roomba with his feet. "This is my third Roomba hacking," Tajima says. "This surfin is safe, useful (it's cleaning), and easy for nerds. Wii balance board is great!" Indeed it is, Tajima-san, indeed it is. Maybe there's a reason for me to take the Balance Board out from underneath my TV and use it again. More »

2:30 PM on Sun Aug 24 2008
By Jack Loftus
4,295 views, 16 comments

Latest by seancron: Was I the only one that noticed he said "clearned"? (1:18) more »

irobot

iRobot Patent Filing Hints at Lawn Mowing Robot Update

The folks behind the Roomba robot vacuum appear to have another robotic helper up their sleeves. In this case, it's of the lawn mowing variety, but the final design is anything but final if the wide variety of shapes, configurations and features are any indication. A lawn-mowing Roomba-like robot... Lawmba? Loomba? Mowba. More »

7:00 PM on Sun Jul 6 2008
By Jack Loftus
3,473 views, 27 comments

Latest by n/a: Interesting... I guess it's not that far off their original Roomba. Here's an interesting article about robots that develop emotional bonding more »

robots

Roomba Maker to Develop DARPA's ChemBot Morphing Robots

Last year DARPA began the search for a company that could develop robots capable of squeezing through small openings and returning to their original size, shape, and functionality on the other side. Like most of DARPA's projects, the idea was way-out there. However, it appears that iRobot (the guys behind practical home robots like the Roomba vacuum and the Looj Gutter cleaner) have answered the call. More »

4:35 PM on Tue Jun 17 2008
By Sean Fallon
7,443 views, 37 comments

Latest by n/a: holy crap is it gonna say "have you seen this boy?" and brawl with Ahhnold? more »

roomba

Top Tips on Socializing Pets and Bots, Courtesy of WSJ

The Wall Street Journal has a great feature this morning about pets and household robots, such as Roombas and Pleos. Writer Andrew Lavallee has compiled all sorts of anecdotes—including useful tips on how to bed your pet in with the 'bot in your life, including protecting your Sony Aibo from cat bites (cayenne pepper and Cholula hot sauce applied to the 'bot butt, apparently). One dog owner told off the Roomba in front of his mutt, and the dog never lunged at the robot vacuum again. [WSJ]

7:10 AM on Wed Jun 11 2008
By AddyDugdale
1,415 views, 7 comments

Latest by G2GdoB2B: LOL! Poor dog! I wonder when robots will take over "traditional" pets! - like Sony's Aibo. Here's a nice article more »

roomba

Guy Hacks His Roomba with LEDs, Transforms It Into Pac Man

Anyone out there with a fetish for hoovering in the dark (anyone out there with a fetish for hoovering, call me, because I need a new cleaning lady) might like this hacked Roomba. Ron Tajima has created the Pacma, using 448 yellow LEDs, and a control unit made of an MPU that connects to the robo-vac via a cable and uses Bluetooth. Fun? Ron, my rugs are just crying out for you. [YouTube via BotJunkie]

6:45 AM on Mon Jun 2 2008
By AddyDugdale
11,300 views, 27 comments

Latest by CubFan81: @MasterYong: Um...that's because you left the post minimized. YouTube videos linked on other sites have some weird feature where if more »

end of the world near

Robot Enslaves Another Robot, Humans Next

After a 24-hour Galactica marathon, robots are gettings robots to follow the orders they were supposed to. Like Monty here, seen in the following video opening his new Roomba, ready to subjugate it into the tedious chore of cleaning the carpet. More »

7:17 AM on Fri May 2 2008
By Jesus Diaz
5,746 views, 36 comments

Latest by n/a: I predict that the rise of robot technology will mimic the rise of cellphone technology: Things like robot brainpower/processing more »

clean up

OSP Robot Is Human Sized Roomba For Oil Spills

Designer Ji-hoon Kim has come up with an ingenuous idea for cleaning up oil spills. Using various features such as boom control modules, solar panels, oil protection boom, communication modules, boom connectors, and propulsion modules the OSP robots work together to surround an oil spill site with an inflatable barrier. Once the site has been contained the cleaning crews can easily remove the oil from the water. If saving the planet wasn't cool enough, an OSP robot is actually the size of a grown human and a group of bots can easily be deployed via helicopter or boat. The only thing we can think of to make these bots better is a speaker that would play their slogan as they work, DEPLOY - UNITE - SIEGE. [Yanko Design]

4:10 PM on Tue Mar 4 2008
By Christopher Mascari
3,302 views, 22 comments

Latest by n/a: thats a lot of boom. more »

robots

iRobot CEO Talks Past, Present and Future of Robotics

Very few people know more about the practical robotics industry more than iRobot CEO Colin Angle. We had a nice chat with him (he did all the talking) earlier today about the state of the robotics industry, why iRobot is essentially the only company doing what they're doing in the field, what kind of robots are coming in the future and why robots are necessary for the human race to survive. More »

Feature

5:30 PM on Tue Jan 8 2008
By Jason Chen
4,701 views, 15 comments

Latest by oldmanstan: @SEARCH ENGINES: there was a start trek episode sorta about this, the wars were fought by computer with no actual more »

housekeeping

Eye-Vac Pro Is Like Paraplegic Roomba, or the Sarlacc of Dust

I couldn't decide which comparison I liked more, but in either case you get it: Eye-Vac Pro is a 1200-watt stationary vacuum, an infrared-equipped all-seeing dustbin that sucks up the rubbish you sweep close enough to its maw. It's got a HEPA filter for clean air return and a "full" indicator, which means that no, I guess it doesn't digest your dust, dirt and hair slowly over 1,000 years' time. Maybe that's next year's model. [Red Ferret]

12:11 PM on Thu Dec 20 2007
By Wilson Rothman
1,422 views, 3 comments

Latest by n/a: The vac sells for $99 at Sally's beauty supply store I think its geared for Stylist to use at their more »

hack attack

XO Laptop Hacked to Remotely Run Roomba 'Round Rooms


This is probably not one of the uses Nicholas Negroponte had in mind when he thought up the OLPC, but at least we know some child, somewhere is benefiting from this little project. The hack lets you control the Roomba from a web browser, using the XO laptop's webcam and microphone as your eyes and ears for spying/cleaning operations. Is there cannon and laser sight upgrade option? [via Ubergizmo]

7:00 PM on Tue Nov 13 2007
By Matt Buchanan
3,617 views, 6 comments

Latest by Ron-Mexico: Ironically, this was Sally Struthers' Roomba. more »

robots

Roomba Driving Owners Crazy with Anthropomorphic Robot Love

A study of 30 Roomba users found the owners of the robotic vacuum cleaner often developing emotional attachments to their little bundles of plastic, metal and wiring. Of the 30 people in the study, 21 of them named their Roombas, 16 of them referred to it as a "he," and some even went so far as to pre-clean the floors to make the little robot's life easier. In other words, Roomba is driving people stark raving mad, demonstrating signs of insanity and anthropomorphizing these robots that can sometimes barely do their jobs. The upside? iRobot, the maker of the Roomba, promises the fifth generation won't be quite so flawed. But then maybe their owners won't love them as much without all those quirks. [MSNBC]

4:20 PM on Tue Oct 2 2007
By Charlie White
6,067 views, 19 comments

Latest by qbrad: @Lacclolith: What about stupid people? We feel bad for them because of the emotional engagement. Bewildered eyes and more »

robots

First iRobot Roomba 560 Video


One of the quirkier features of iRobot's new 500 series Roomba vacuum bots is the voice recorded tutorial that is built into the device. Here's the robot-guided tour, complete with spinning sidebrush and a blinking blue dirt detector light.

11:30 PM on Tue Aug 21 2007
By Noah Robischon
52,262 views, 16 comments

Latest by catt8er: I have had a few roombas love them. I am disabled and they can be a big help. Looking forward more »

robots

Mod-Friendly 5th Gen iRobot Roomba - First Vacuum


Roomba is among the most successful consumer robots ever made, having sold well over 2 million units. And iRobot's newly released 500 series is the first major revamp of the floorvac line since 2004. Nearly everything about the bot has been changed or improved; it's stronger, quieter, smarter and will last five times longer than its predecessor. A full report on the Roomba 560's anti-tangling technology, voice module, and RF "Virtual Wall Lighthouses" is just after the jump.
More »

9:38 PM on Tue Aug 21 2007
By Noah Robischon
13,418 views, 17 comments

Latest by gallamine: "Drezio: Oh and that spinning side-brush will probably last about 20 minutes." Drezio, do you own a Roomba? The previous version more »

ditch the remote

SK Telecom Cleaning Robot Controlled by Cellphone

Sometimes we just want to tell our Roomba what to do, but we can never find that frickin' remote. Well SK Telecom has decided to fix this problem, they are developing a cleaning-robot that is controllable via your cell phone. Not only can you decide where the little bot cleans, but you can also see what it's doing via the built in camera. More pics after the jump. More »

7:12 PM on Fri Jul 27 2007
By blongo3
2,617 views, 4 comments

Latest by igob8a: Fits in with all of Korea's other cell-phone controlled stuff and their HomeVita technology. [www.builderonline.com] BTW, the homes equipped with HomeVita already more »

name that irobot

What Will iRobot's Next Creations Be?

iRobot, of Roomba fame has come out of the woodwork and announced that they will be unveiling two new consumer robots this holiday season that will not be floor cleaning robots. Helen Greiner, co-founder of iRobot said "We are going to launch them from our Web space, and they are not floor-cleaning robots. They are different types of robots with mechanical features." So, what do you folks think? They are going to be consumer robots that don't clean. More »

9:00 PM on Mon May 21 2007
By Travis Hudson
2,310 views, 24 comments

Latest by mcguirev10: I have two Roomba Scheduler uber-deluxe floor-suckers, and frankly I'd prefer that they not come out with a new product, more »

gadgets

Roomba With Airsoft Gun and Laser Sight Terrorizes Ankles

What do you get when you combine a Roomba, a laser sight and an airsoft gun? Something cats are really, really afraid of. Modder Chris Myers first hacked his Roomba to be controlled by Bluetooth, which he then used to bring him wine from across the room. After getting hammered, he decided to mount a cannon on there instead. Hats off to Chris for his ingenuity. – Jason Chen More »

9:00 PM on Thu Apr 19 2007
By Jason Chen
6,402 views, 15 comments

Latest by isobot: Thanks for all the comments. I agree very crappy video, it was just a quick record of its first more »

gadgets

Dyson Secretly Creating Robot Vacuum

iRobot's Roomba is about to get a little competition from the folks at Dyson. Rumor has it that Dyson is recruiting roboticists who can help create a robotic vacuum with autopilot and mapping capabilities, the latter feature being something the Roomba lacks (it relies on bump sensors for direction). More »

1:14 PM on Fri Mar 30 2007
By Louis Ramirez
911 views, 9 comments

Latest by Foosfan: If you use a Roomba everyday....do you really need a Dyson. Dysons are for great for the people that more »

gadgets

1-Year Review with Scooba: Thumbs Down

I like Joel's 1-year review of the Scooba — Roomba's wash and dry mopping bot. For cleaning his Brooklyn pad, he finds the charging, refilling of cleaning fluids, initial outlay of $200, and maintenance of the bot to be more work and expense than it's worth. Mopping up by bucket and mop and human-being is still the way to go. Unless you have a thing for robots in French Maid costumes, that is. More »

9:22 AM on Wed Mar 21 2007
By Brian Lam
5,828 views, 6 comments

Latest by n/a: I read this review and was very skeptical about the Scooba, but bought it anyways. I have to more »

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