Most robotic vacuum cleaners struggle to clean along walls and tight corners. Their brushes sit between the wheels and can't reach the edge, so they rely on spinning side brushes to sweep dirt inward. However, this kicks up dust—bad for allergy and asthma sufferers—and edge mopping is often ineffective or completely absent.
The Solution
This invention introduces a cleaning robot that can reorient itself for edge cleaning. It has smart wheels that swivel, letting it move sideways along walls. The brush unit also rotates to align directly with the wall, allowing it to vacuum right up to the edge—within just 10mm.
Additionally, the robot includes an extendable mop that pushes diagonally downward and outward. This ensures that even when the robot can’t hug the wall perfectly, the mop still reaches those tricky areas.
The Inventive Step
Unlike other robots that need complex arms or body-twisting to reach edges, this design uses a low-cost rotating brush platform and steerable wheels to seamlessly switch between normal and edge-cleaning modes. The mop extension is also motorized and guided along rails, allowing precise edge contact without the need for robotic limbs.
Tangible Benefits
- More thorough cleaning: Reaches right up to baseboards.
- Cleaner air: Avoids dust clouds from traditional spinning brushes.
- Efficient mopping: Mop extends to clean edges without needing the whole robot to twist or reposition.
- Faster operation: Edge mopping can exceed 100mm/s—significantly faster than current solutions.
Broader Impact
This robot design improves home hygiene, especially for people with allergies. It could set a new standard for cleaning performance while keeping manufacturing cost low. In time, this approach may also influence how industrial or commercial cleaning robots are designed—boosting both cleanliness and efficiency across sectors.