FloorBot

The FloorBot is a robotic floor cleaner for the home. It's designed to automatically clean the floor while you relax, get a little exercise, or just head off for work. Press the start button and the FloorBot cleans in logical laps while sensing and navigating any obstacles in the area. When the FloorBot has finished cleaning it simply turns off. The development is the culmination of years of work in software development and real world simulation, advanced electronic engineering and mechanical design, 3D CAD design, and patented sensor systems. This was aided by comprehensive market research.

The core technology of the FloorBot is a highly flexible, platform independent navigation system, designed to suit many application requirements.

Intelligent mobile robotic appliances based on the FloorBot system could be further extended to provide a telepresence in the work area via integration with a vision system, and could be remotely controlled via Internet or BlueTooth technologies.

Potential applications for this technology range from land exploration, mining, farming, security, and search and rescue.

Pressing the start button on the robot or pressing start button on the remote control wakes FloorBot to commence work. The FloorBot scans 8 primary control systems for change of state every 6 ms.

The navigation algorithm is designed to allow the robot to operate autonomously in a workspace. It comprises of a hash mode, where the robot will move in a grid pattern either a …..north/south, then east/west The navigation system also comprises of a 'hug' mode which cleans around the obstacles marked during the hash mode.

This allows the robot to move along a line in either forward or backward direction and can turn the robot in either clockwise or counterclockwise with zero turning radius or pivot 180 degree turns. Also the navigational software monitors the obstacle signal in response to bumps and the robot computates it location as it moves across a work area. The work area comprises of a substantially horizontal planar work surface bounded on all sides by an obstacle/Walls/Drops. The robot control system also includes a search memory storage device storing a two-dimensional memory array.

The robot control system communicates with the memory storage device to produce a plurality of drive signals capable of directing the robots drive motors to steer FloorBot from the original work area in increment steps into successive work area increments until the entire work area is explored. The obstacle sensors produce obstacle signals when the vehicle encounters an obstacle in the work area and these obstacle signals are used by the software internal map.

Product at a glance
Product type	Robotics
Target Industry Sectors	All flooring applications - Residential, Commercial and Industrial Anywhere there is a floor to be kept clean!
Fault tolerance	General consumer
Innovation indicators	Business Advantage with the shift Breaking new ground
Performance indicators	Quality system Customer support Standards and codes compliance Fully supported product Professionally executed design Real world design Beta tested User benefits New benchmark
Potential indicators	Structured for growth Global design Identified potential markets Award recognition Successful track record International collaborators
Contact for more information	Murray McDonald Sales Manager

Our primary innovation is the intuitive learning navigation software system. This system allows robots to have a broad range of applications in a variety of markets such as security, roadwork, farming, warehousing, cleaning and a range of consumer products. These next two decades will see the emergence of robotics into our work and home environments. Robotics has been promising for the last three decades. Now it’s happening.

In 2003 the vacuum has a motor and a wand or handle and humans push and pull the machine across the floor to remove the dirt. It might have different colours and be plastic with different filters but it hasn’t changed much.

Our newly developed software autonomously navigates the area it is cleaning without human intervention to guide or control its behaviour.

The proprietary FloorBot navigational software, in combination with our proprietary sensors and engineering, heralds a new generation of robotic appliances. Simple to use, yet intelligent. It requires no programming or training and it’s easy to operate, just start, stop and pause buttons.

As the FloorBot moves across the floor in long parallel lap formations, its software scans and memorises where it has cleaned and the obstacles encountered. This allows it to make intelligent, navigational decisions on which way to turn and where to clean next. Once it has achieved its goal of cleaning all the exposed areas it can reach, it simply turns off.

The FloorBot can be used in medium to small areas, such as corridors, office foyers, warehouses, shops, waiting rooms or homes. Just about Anywhere....!

Robotics is a new and emerging industry with few International standards our performance strategy had several steps.

Imagine for a moment …..humans not cleaning a floor …..It is possible - from homes to offices to industry. Change is a matter of time, the right product and market strategy. It's technically possible.

The international potential is very broad but lets focus on the two strategic markets that FloorBotics are planning internationally. Cleaning Robots in the (1) consumer-home and (2) commercial cleaning markets. In the consumer market we have several small models planned but first we have to have the product successful in the market before we feature upgrade at 6 month intervals and at 2 year after launch develop further products. The consumer vacuum market is +40 million units per year in OECD markets. The product has been designed for use in Europe, Asia, USA markets. Over the recent years we have been building the distribution channel for our product in 14 countries OECD countries.

We plan that within 3 years that 1% of the market will change to robotics 5% by the 6th year

[Table 1]	Commercial Vacuum Cleaners	Domestic Vacuum Cleaners	Saturation Level	Populatiom (millions)
Japan	255,000	7,729,000	98%	122.8
USA	541,000	16,364,000	99%	260
UK	116,000	3,522,000	99%	57.4
Germany	136,000	4,103,000	97%	83.5
France	71,000	2,152,000	90%	55.9
Italy	58,000	1,740,000	85%	56.4
Turkey	51,000	1,530,000	50%	48
Netherlands	26,000	790,000	99%	14.5
Spain	20,000	600,000	53%	39.3
Austria	12,000	354,000	96%	7.6
Sweden	10,000	304,000	99%	8.3
Switzerland	14,000	422,000	99%	6.7
Australia	34,000	1,043,000	98%	17
TOTALS	1,343,000 p.a.	40,653,000 p.a.

Estimated annual sales of Vacuum Cleaners for the Domestic and Commercial/Industrial cleaning markets, in selected OECD countries, 1998

Estimates of the breakdown of the annual sales of commercial vacuum cleaners, by State and major industry sector are shown in the table below.

[Table 2] Industry Sector*	% of est’d sales**	Vic	NSW	Qld	SA	WA	Tas	NT/ ACT	Total
Offices	20	2000	2200	1300	500	500	100	200	6,800
Healthcare	15	1500	1700	900	400	400	75	200	5,175
Education	25	2500	2800	1500	700	600	125	300	8,525
Other (Retail etc.)	40	3900	4400	2500	1000	1000	200	500	13,500
Total Estimated Sales		9,900	11,100	6,200	2,600	2,500	500	1,200	34,000

Estimate of potential sales of commercial vacuum cleaners in Australia by Industry Segment and State,1998

As you can see above the commercial industry breakdown for the commercial robot cleaner. The primary product is the vacuum, the most popular cleaning tool. There are also several products planned within the commercial market, sweeper, moppers, scrubbers, polishers. And in various sizes model from a small office to an airport.

Japan was identified as the key international market and we established and office in Osaka in 2002. The aim is to secure collaboration partner and development projects for our technology.

To get the technology into the market we are actively in discussion with overseas manufactures to license and incorporate the robotics system into new products.

FloorBot- is the 1st generation of robots that FloorBotics is planning . Our next line of research is in the visual recognition system that will lead to higher intelligence and further commercial application.

FloorBotics is a robotic development company. We are dedicated to design, engineering and electronic development and have a strong focus on manufacturing and marketing. Our head office is located in Australia and our research and development office is in Melbourne Australia

Our mission is producing innovative mobile robotics projects through linking mechanical engineers, designers, and sales/market researchers to consumer target markets.

Our aim is to become the industry leader in robotic cleaning machinery and further develop our robotic technology into other fields.

Our team is very passionate about the development of highly intelligent, yet simple to use robotic technology.

Once upon a time our engineering director’s wife fell ill and he inherited all the cleaning responsibilities. After countless hours vacuuming and mopping floors he thought to himself "there has to be a better way". So he decided to put his knowledge of robotics to work and embark on a journey to develop a cleaning robot that could do all those bothersome chores so he could concentrate on more important matters.

Along the way he was met by Murray McDonald. Then, an up and coming sales-marketing manager with Duplex a successful Australian commercial/industrial cleaning machine company with over 40 years experience in the industry. Together, with the aid of Duplex, they developed a technology company called FloorBotics. Now seven years, and several US and international patents later we have developed the FloorBot..

Duncan Ashworth is the joint founder of FloorBotics, co-developer of the ARNA®™ navigation system

and our Engineering Director. He has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry with AMD Inc. and Legerity Inc where he was Vice President of Engineering with over 150 staff. Duncan has developed over 100 integrated circuits and is the author of numerous technical articles. He is currently pioneering various new semiconductor technologies for the robotics industry.

Murray McDonald is the other founder of FloorBotics, co-developer of the ARNA technology and our Sales and Marketing Director. He was a project manager at a large industrial fire alarm system company. And he has established an import/export company of international cleaning machinery, developing marketing and sales programs that span the Asian Pacific region.

Gary Ashcraft is our Chief Operating Officer. He was the Chief Operating Officer of Legerity Inc., Vice President and General Manager of AMD Inc.`s communications unit. He established and led AMD’s microprocessor business unit and he also has ten years experience with Silicon Valley start up companies.

Luke Hurley is our Asian Business Development Manager. He studied International Business and South East Asian studies at QLD University of Technology and has worked in Japan for over three years. He has conducted extensive market research on the Japanese robotics industry.