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London woman sees the future of housework
Robot vacuum 'an amazing invention'
December 1, 1997
Web posted at: 11:51 p.m. EST (0451 GMT)LONDON (CNN) -- The prototype of a robotic vacuum cleaner was turned loose on the carpets of a London home Monday, and the industrialized world suddenly found itself on the cusp of a cleaner and more leisurely tomorrow.
"I have to say that having seen this in action I was really impressed," said Gillian Stern, a working mother involved in the epochal event. "It gets into every corner. It zigzags around the room. It goes under beds, and I just think it's an amazing invention."
"It" is a small, metallic vacuum built by Electrolux that looks like a wheeled version of one of Queen Elizabeth's hats.
The small, rechargeable robot uses state of the art technology to navigate around rooms and avoid getting stuck. Skimming across the carpet with the familiar, asthmatic whine common to vacuums, it appears to have a mind of its own.
Vacuuming made easy 961K/25 sec./160x120
QuickTime movieIn a straight line, it motors smartly across a room inhaling dirt and litter. But when it goes beneath a bed and encounters a wall, it stops rather than enduring the kind of rattling collision common to runaway toys.
It turns, tries again and, still stymied, rotates yet again and motors into the open floor.
So sensitive are the vacuum's sensors that it stops to avoid a glass of juice in the middle of the floor, easing delicately around it as if it were an invalid.
Design based on prehistoric bug
Mike Dishop of Electrolux says the vacuum's sensors make "hundreds of thousands of corrections to the appliance in the course of one minute, and what this does is it gives our engineers, really, the freedom to put any kind of corrective action into the control."
The robot's design is based on a small, prehistoric marine creature known as the trilobite which once scavenged ocean floors. The vacuum uses an acoustic radar system similar to that of a bat, and a super-sensitive bumper to locate objects and prevent it from scarring the woodwork and chipping the Chippendales.
And that, says Elizabeth Farmer of Electrolux's marketing department, is just what people want.
"All of the group research we do, people will say to you, 'Can I have a product that will do the job itself? I don't want to waste time vacuuming the home and walking around doing all those tedious jobs. Just let me switch it on and leave it.' And that's really where we are coming from."
The prototype is still undergoing tests, but when it is finally marketed the cost is expected to be about $800.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Robotics industry makes its pitch to Congress - September 30, 1997
- Tomorrow/Today: Scientists sniff out useful applications for robotic nose - April 17, 1997
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