Robot vacuum cleaners without spying: Community builds robots using a 3D printer
Why not develop a modular robot vacuum cleaner yourself? A robotics enthusiast from the USA has unveiled a DIY vacuum cleaner that is designed to work entirely offline. Anyone interested is invited to join in the tinkering.
Robot vacuum manufacturers are trying to outdo their competitors with even better features. To do so, they are relying on an ever-increasing number of sensors that allow the devices to map their surroundings. However, this is precisely what has led to criticism that the devices are spying on their users. Privacy concerns arise not only from the built-in cameras, but also from cloud-based functions, which often rely on servers outside Europe.
But there is another way: why not build your own robot vacuum – without a constant cloud connection? This is precisely the plan of Ilia O., an engineer from California. In June he presented his latest project: The DIY robot vacuum cleaner Oomwoo is a purely open-source project and, judging by the comments under the article, seems to be generating a great deal of interest.
On his YouTube channel ‘ «Maker’s Pet’», it can be seen that Ilia has been working for well over a year on a robot that independently explores its surroundings and maps them using the Lidar laser measurement system.
The Raspberry Pi is the brain of the robot vacuum
Oomwoo relies on single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi and uses 2D Lidar sensors for basic autonomous navigation. The casing can be 3D-printed by the user. Oomwoo can be integrated into Home Assistant, which serves as the central control interface. Microcontrollers such as the ESP32 are used for sensors and motor control, amongst other things.
No data leaves your home, and you only pay for the individual components that Ilia lists on GitHub. Depending on the configuration, the cost is expected to range from 200 to 600 US dollars.
Source: Ilia O.
The problem: there are currently no assembly instructions for the Oomwoo. The project is still at an early stage. Ilia wants to develop the robot openly from now on: other hobbyists can use the provided framework to build their own modules and variants – the most successful approaches will be incorporated into the project. In other words: the Oomwoo is a kind of Community robot vacuum.
The modular design makes it easy for hobbyists
Using two-dimensional lidar, the robot can only map the room on the horizontal plane at the height of the sensor. Oomwoo cannot detect objects located below this level using this measurement method, such as cables, toys and socks. However, bumper sensors do trigger when the robot’s body collides with objects. There is no camera to analyse the surroundings in conjunction with AI.
A mopping function is not currently planned either. Unlike some manufacturers, the Oomwoo is not intended to stand out through the highest possible suction power ratings (Pa). Instead, Ilia is focusing on efficient airflow within the housing, which is also designed to be as airtight as possible.
It is important to emphasise that the Oomwoo will not be able to compete with top-of-the-range models from commercial manufacturers. Nor, in all likelihood, with their mid-range devices. The aim is to provide an open platform for interested smart home enthusiasts. The robot is to be modular in design, so that anyone with the relevant knowledge can modify and expand the Oomwoo. The entire Community benefits from these experiments.
On the software side, Oomwoo relies on standard robotics tools: for navigation, it uses the ROS 2 framework with the Nav2 library, which is responsible for route planning and obstacle avoidance.
Details regarding battery life, suction power and charging functionality are not yet available due to the early stage of development. Oomwoo is still more of an experiment than a product – but that is precisely what makes it so exciting for many.
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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