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Hamster-controller iRobot Create
MAKE Magazine —
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Here's a vid of a hamster, in a hamster ball, controlling a iRobot Create.
The hamster controls the robot by running in the ball in whatever direction he/she likes. The ball is supported on three rollers and an optical sensor measures which way and how fast the ball is spinning. Those values are fed into a microprocessor that controls the drive wheels to make the robot mimic the motion of the ball.
iRobot YouTube ...
Hamster iRobot Vacuum: Clean Or Cruel, You Be The Judge
GadgetReview —
I can only imagine what the folks at PETA are saying about this video. As you’ll see, the well paid engineers at iRobot decided to retrofit one of their autonomous vacuums with a hamster, a hamster ball and some sensors. Which ever way the hamster moves so does the vacuum. I don’t hear any vacuum noise, though, leading me to believe that this is just for gimmick and won’t ever come to market. Darn it! I was really looking for another novel way to clean my apartment.
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Hamster-Controlled Roomba Lets Your Hamster Decide What Gets Cleaned [Robots]
Gizmodo —
Sure, a Roomba will methodically and accurately clean your floors, but wouldn't it be more fun to let chaos reign by throwing the controls of your robotic vacuum over to a hamster? Some engineers with some free time on their hands decided to retrofit a Roomba with a mechanism that allowed it to be controlled via hamster ball. That is to say, whichever way the hamster runs, the Roomba goes. I'm sure it's quite liberating for the hamster, but I wouldn't count on your floors getting too clean. [Networkworld via Gadget Review]
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Hamster-powered Vacuum Cleaner
Ubergizmo —
We'd hate to overwork our hamsters, but then again sometimes those little critters ought to earn their keep instead of being cared for all the time. Here's a Roomba that has been retrofitted with a special mechanism that enables it to be controlled from the hamster ball. In essence, the Roomba will go wherever the hamster runs, but chances are your floors will be cleaned in random zig zag lines and not in an orderly manner, making this cute little project more of an interesting experiment instead of a practical solution.
Permalink: Hamster-powered Vacuum Cleaner from Ubergizmo) | ...
Hamsters power iRobot’s new vacuum cleaner
Gizmo Watch —
Engineers at iRobot have created a prototype vacuum cleaner that is wireless, robotic and has a hamster in a ball. Clearly, the vacuum cleaner was developed to stay as a prototype forever, more proof comes along when you consider that it uses a series of sensors to follow the speed and direction of the hamster. So it’s cool to watch, fun, and all that, but I guess it would have been a lot better if they tried that on Asimo.
Via: NetworkWorld
