iRobot Develops Hamster-Guided Robotic Vacuum

Posted by timothy on Wednesday March 4, 2009 @07:00AM from the cat-powered-would-be-too-smart dept.

carusoj writes "The folks at iRobot apparently have plenty of time on their hands. They created a prototype wireless, robotic vacuum cleaner... powered by a hamster running inside a spinning ball. The rodent's movements with the ball are fed to and analyzed by a complex set of sensors, which then guide the actual vacuum device to mimic the animal's speed and direction. You can see where this is going: it's a clever ploy to then get you to buy a second robot that would automatically feed, water, and clean up after the hamster in the first robot."

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Re:What's happening at iRobot, anyway? Nothing? by argent · 2009-03-04 07:28 · Score: 2, Insightful

Probably because a random walk is a local optimum, and all the other optima are a LONG way away.
I want one that picks up dropped coins and pens and other solid debris and separates it from the dust and fluff. Bonus if it can count my change.
What's going on here? by snspdaarf · 2009-03-04 07:34 · Score: 3, Insightful

Is Idle cross-posting to Hardware?

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Why, without your clothes, you're naked, Miss Dudley!