Ninja
Team members:
- Tim Palagi
- Kevin Riegner
- Simone Shen
The goal of Team Ninja is to design a smart vacuum, which will be completely self-controlled. This self-controlled vacuum will have the ability to successfully maneuver an entire room while vacuuming the floor it covers. Motors and a steering system will control its mobility. In order to be "smart," the vacuum will have peripheral sensors that will determine the vacuum's proximity to objects. Photo detectors, pressure sensors, or a combination of the two will enable this ability. The internal control system, either a microprocessor or FPGA, interprets peripheral data and reacts to it by controlling its mobility functions. Commercially available batteries power the device. However, the device will not be able to recharge itself. Similar to a traditional vacuum cleaner, it will have a limited user interface where the user will only designate on/off modes of operation. In addition to being more convenient for the everyday user, it could be utilized by disabled persons that do not have the ability to vacuum their residences by themselves.