My Robot Vacuum Cleaner!

Having worked for 38 years with spatial data in the field of mapping and GIS, never did I imagine that, after 6 years of retirement, I would be back again working with spatial data, and that too produced using the latest technology of laser mapping! 

But that is what I am precisely doing now. The map represents the interior space of my apartment created on-line as a floor-plan map. 

The topological zoning considers individual rooms and relations between them. The editing work consists of merge / divide for delineating individual rooms, creating virtual walls for restricted areas, and demarcating bounded areas for spot cleaning. 

My newly acquired autonomous 'robot vacuum cleaner' device features a Laser Distance Sensor that performs a 360° scan of its surroundings, up to six times per second, with 2016 times / sec sampling rate and an 8-meter range. 

The path planning and navigation uses SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) algorithm. After mapping systematically the entire space of my apartment it creates a floor-plan map on my mobile. The mobile app communicates with the device using the built-in Wi-Fi. 

The device comes with 12 different multi-directional sensors (anti-collision, anti-drop, and other high-precision ones) and uses LDS to smartly navigate and scan the complex environment accurately by avoiding obstacles for an efficient cleaning. 

It is truly amazing how different advanced technologies have converged together to create an intelligent device for day-to-day use in our household. Like any smart-home device, one can schedule the cleaning operation via the mobile app and Wi-Fi from anywhere and at anytime. 

Of course the end user, Vasantha Unnikrishnan, is blissfully unaware of all the sophisticated technologies that have gone into the making of this robot that takes care of the household chore of jhaadu-pocha (sweeping and mopping)! 

For more details see the video Mi Robot Vacuum Mop P Review