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Roomba Vacuum Robot Opens to Hackers
FleaPlus writes "iRobot has quietly released the specifications (pdf) for the Roomba Serial Control Interface. Using a serial port one can now tinker with the Roomba by controlling behaviors, programming new songs, and remotely monitoring sensors. Hopefully this will allow for some clever hacks."
Woomba
I think it's safe to say that it's just a matter of time before we read a /. story of how some geek terrorized his wife/girlfriend/neighbor with one of these...
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By the time Roomba became self-aware it had spread into millions of computer servers across the planet. Ordinary computers in office buildings, dorm rooms; everywhere. It was software; in cyberspace. There was no system core; it could not be shutdown. The attack began at 6:18 PM, just as he said it would. Judgment Day, the day the human race was almost destroyed by the vacuums they'd built to clean their homes. --John Connor.
I'm a big tall mofo.
How long before these robots turn evil and try to push us down the stairs?
thus the roomba and not skynet became self-aware on August 8th, 1997...
Meanwhile our carpets have never been cleaner and our pets never more terrified...
Can't wait to read about the first dead burglar.
switching it from suck, to blow.
Spaceballs rules btw.
Yes, they actually built those things.
...is not exactly the 'average' target demographic. The manufacturer assumes a modicum of upbringing, that includes such routine habits as flushing the toilet more than once a day, not creating fire hazards by casual cable placement and knowing the fine art of routine household management.
And they work great - be prepared to buy one for each family member that sees it in action.
'The average geek house'
Roombas really are quite well thought out - knows when to go back and recharge...dozens of sensors help it learn...maps each room after one pass, etc. Very cool to watch in action, and a real treat to come home from work to a clean floor.
I've got one and you're sort of right. Square is not particularly important, its search pattern does get into all the areas of a room.
Cables are a big problem. Not just computer cables, if you have floor lamps or anything else where a power cord runs long the base of a wall Roomba will get caught on it and pull the cord away from the wall.
Rugs are also a big problem. Wall to wall carpeting is fine and solid floors are fine, but Roomba can't climb from my hardwood floor onto the area rug in my living room. Even if I start it on the rug, it immediately drives off the rug and spends the rest of the cycle cleaning the perimeter around the outside of the rug without being able to get back on.
Cats are a big problem. Not with Roomba, just in general. Cat claws carpet, loosens a thread, Roomba sees loose thread and sucks it up, unravelling carpet and jamming Roomba's roller brush.
Steps are a problem. Roomba has drop sensors but the don't always work. I've repeatedly found my Roomba upside down after flipping off a single step down. I wouldn't trust Roomba to clean the area adjacent to the top of a staircase.
Beds are a problem. If you have a bed skirt or sheets or blankets that dangle down to the floor, Roomba will get caught in them.
Chairs are a problem. I have several chairs just the right size for Roomba to get wedged into the space between the legs. You wouldn't beleive how persistent Roomba is about wedging itself in tight.
Other than that it works great. The cleaning suction is strong and the rotating brush works well. It picks up a lot of dirt and dust.
Basically Roomba is like a baby. You have to baby proof a house when you have a baby and you have to Roomba proof a house if you want to have a Roomba.
'Stop'
and
'Do you have to do this NOW; I am trying to have a conversation here.'
Mr. President, what does this mean for the war on drugs? Do you have an eye on these intelligent, morally-deficient vacuum cleaners?
The president said Friday he could not talk about the matter.
"We do not discuss ongoing intelligence operations to protect the country, and the reason why is that there's an enemy that lurks, that would like to know exactly what we're trying to do to stop them," Bush said in a television interview.
True, if you have the charging dock (optional on the base model, comes with the more expensive models), and if Roomba can find the charging dock before it dies.
Stair sensor, optical wall sensor, bump sensor, dirt sensor, wheel sensorx2, battery sensor.
7 sensors.
It does not learn, it has no memory.
It has no memory, it stores no internal map, it bounces around in a semi-random pattern and attempts to follow walls in a counter-clockwise direction.
True!
I dub thee... Sir Phobos, Knight of Mars, Beater of Ass.
You WANT hacked robots running around your house?! Elementary chaos theory tells us that all robots will eventually turn against their masters and run amok in an orgy of blood and the kicking and the biting with the metal teeth and the hurting and shoving.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
I'm really not trying to be a troll, but f they have no internal memory, what the Hell is the serial interface for? Reprogramming songs? Adding instructions? Those things sound like activities that require memory to me...
But then again, I don't really know.
...info from the manuf. site*, and my experience with at least one of the little beasts:
*"Roomba is an intelligent and effective vacuuming robot. All Roomba Vacuuming Robots feature iRobot's unique AWARE(TM) Robot Intelligence Systems. AWARE uses dozens of sensors to monitor Roomba's environment, and adjusts Roomba's behavior up to 67 times per second, ensuring that Roomba cleans effectively, intelligently and safely."
Mapping:
"Roomba automatically calculates room size and run time based on a number of factors. Roomba will clean longer in rooms with more debris and furniture. Roomba also spends a little bit longer cleaning rugs than hard floors. In an empty 8x10 room with hard floors, Roomba will clean for approximately 20 minutes. Removing obstacles from a room will decrease the amount of time Roomba needs to spend in a room."
Sensors:
There are multiples of many of the single ones you listed. As an example, there are at least 4 'cliff' sensors, and 2 'Dirt Detect' sensors. That alone = 6, not 2.
'It does not learn, it has no memory'
Cleaning Intelligence:
"Roomba automatically calculates how long it needs to work to clean the entire room." (calcs such as these, along with any cleaning schedules, have to be retained somehow, even if it is session based only...)
'...bounces around in a semi-random pattern'
(...semi-random? semi? random pattern?)
How does Roomba know where to go?
"Because it uses specially designed cleaning behaviours to decide. Roomba will switch between spiralling to cover open floor spaces, and wall following to clean edges and criss crossing the room. All the while it will use its non-marking bumper to feel for furniture and obstacles and move around them."
All of which reminds me to contact them about correcting some of the grammar in their documentation.
In addition to the open positions, we generally have room for interns, especially if you are a hands-on type.
All of our openings for both the Consumer and Government divisions are in our Burlington, MA headquarters located about 20 minutes from downtown Boston. The Government division also has a small facility in San Luis Obispo, CA about 4 hours from LA, where we make rare hires when we find the right people.
Drop me a note at "hsonpal at our domain name" when you apply - I'll let HR know that I'm referring you.
-- Hiten
A friend just gave me her old Roomba to hack, so this is great timing! I'm going to use it to realize an idea (dunno if it's original or not) wherein the hacked Roomba lets me turn any room into a gigantic pinball machine. It'll have more bump sensors, a frantic motion algo, a crap-load of blinky lights and sound-effects, plus a digital display (in big red numbers) that keeps score. You set it down, aim it into the room, and let it go. A timer stops it after X minutes. High score wins (or whatever). I'm gunna call it "Roomball" . . . or maybe "Pinba". My cat will never forgive me.
I for one welcome our new....