In A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution AI and the five Breakthroughs that made our brains by Max S Bennet talks about one of the earliest ‘automatic’ vacuum cleaners with a relatively simple concept!
When you were young you would have seen ants on the field or the floor and a brave kid would place a leaf on its path! The ant would then stop moving in that direction and change the direction!
This is the core principle of the ROOMBA!
The Roomba was invented by MIT engineer Joe Jones in 1989 (initially as a Lego prototype) and later launched by iRobot in September 2002. Inspired by visions of automated home cleaning, the concept was developed using simple, cost-effective technology—including adapted military mine-detection algorithms—to create an accessible, autonomous, circular vacuum
The first-generation (2002) Roomba did not use cameras or mapping; instead, it used a random navigation algorithm—driving forward until it hit an obstacle, then turning and moving in a new direction!
The Roomba is related to animal movement both in its engineering inspiration and its real-world interaction with pets. Its navigation algorithms are designed based on how simple animals—like ants and bees—forage for food and explore their environment. Furthermore, its unpredictable, low-profile, and occasionally buzzing movement mimics small prey, which often fascinates cats and triggers hunting instincts!
The core feature according to even Max is that Roomba has in its core, a bio-Inspired Navigation! The foraging Patterns of early Roomba algorithms were modeled after insects, specifically how ants explore areas for food. The robot uses simple, behavior-based rules, such as moving in a spiral pattern to cover a concentrated area or following walls!
Even the obstacle handling is similar to how insects react to obstacles, the Roomba changes direction upon encountering furniture or walls, mimicking a “random walk” search pattern that ensures comprehensive cleaning!
Researchers have also tested “artificial whiskers” on Roomba platforms to mimic how rodents use their whiskers to feel and navigate their surroundings.
Another term for the movements of the Roomba is called the “Way of the Ox”!
The Boustrophedon path or “way of the ox” is named after the traditional, back-and-forth movement used in agriculture!
As we say in Tamil, ROomBa nalla irukkku! That of course has nothing to do with the iROOMBA but means that it is very nice!
Nice also was the portrayal of the first woman police officer by Kavita Chaudhary in the amazing series based on a real officer who incidentally was Kavita ji’s elder sister!
That is ROMBA information!
Now turn on your robo vac and sleep!
Shubh ratri!
ramadocblog 