Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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Who didn't watch the Jetsons and dream of a world where machines would prepare breakfast, dress us, clean the house, walk the dog, and do all the chores that seem utterly monotonous? We've still got a long way to go in the evolution of the mechanical butler. Two recent robotic advancements operate on a very similar principle to make household chores just a little easier. The category of lawn mowing robots and low-profile vacuum cleaner robots operate on a very similar principle — stay within safe boundaries and travel until all territory has been covered.

Robot Vacuums

Roomba is probably the best known robot in the vacuum category. There are four different models priced under $300. Depending on how much you spend, the robots offer dirt detection, a 3 hour charge, a self-charging home base, and wall-mount. The robots work by sensing obstacles like walls, furniture, and chairs, navigating across floor surfaces until an entire room is clean.

Trilobite from Electrolux, is the most expensive robotic vacuum on the market at $1800. Despite being six times more expensive than the Roomba, the Trilobite requires magnetic barriers placed on walls to make it aware of where not to go, and the company offers special covers to hide the magnets for yet another additional fee. You are further encouraged to add multiple recharging stations throughout your house to make it easier to charge the Trilobite, further multiplying the cost.

Lawn Mowing Robots

Robomower carries the tagline "It mows, you don't," which sounds perfectly fine with this writer. The mower uses a three-blade battery powered system, making it quieter than the traditional gas powered units. The Robomower requires a wire perimeter around the yard, so it knows when to quit, which means you won't accidentally trim the neighbor's lawn too. Depending on which model you purchase, a programmable scheduler means you could set the mower to trim your lawn even when you aren't home.

Ambrogio Lawn Mower operates either using a wired perimeter to detect boundaries or by keeping it enclosed in a fence. Wet grass sensors and a rain detection system help prevent damage to either the lawn or the mower. The manufacturer claims the mower can cover up to 33,000 square feet with inclines up to 27 degrees. The only downside is this unit may only be available in Europe.

Sentry Robots

While there aren't any sentry robots available for off-the-shelf purchase yet, there are a number of companies specializing in this field for traversing office building corridors, so home use can't be far behind. Elements common to this type of robot are motion detection, obstacle detection, and camera mounts connected to a central PC via WiFi meant to send pictures back to update on activity in a given location. While this might be unnecessary for small dwellings, having robots available to patrol large acreages or to inform you what a particular noise might be in a remote part of the house could be a safe alternative to checking it out yourself.

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