IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
		     Central New England Chapter

		       Tuesday, April 11, 2006

		     Informal Discussion: 6:00 PM
			   Program: 6:30 PM

    ROBOTS AT THE TIPPING-POINT: THE ROAD TO THE IROBOT ROOMBA(r)

			     Presented by

			   Joseph L. Jones

			  iRobot Corporation
			   63 South Avenue
			 Burlington, MA 01803
			http://www.irobot.com/

ABSTRACT

Roomba's earliest direct ancestor emerged from the MIT Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory in 1989.  In January of that year Prof. Rodney
Brooks' Mobile Robot Group staged an event known as the AI Olympics.
The group handed out kits of parts-microprocessors, sensors, motors,
LEGO pieces, and so on-to all interested parties at the Laboratory.
Mr. Jones' efforts in the AI Olympics resulted in a floor-sweeping
robot called Rug Warrior.  In 1999, Mr. Jones and a colleague, Paul
Sandin, proposed to iRobot that they investigate building a
floor-cleaning robot targeted at consumers.  The company accepted the
proposal and, with two weeks of focused work, Mr. Jones and Mr. Sandin
produced a robot called Scamp, which employed a carpet sweeper
cleaning mechanism, a force-sensing bumper, and could anticipate
collisions using several infrared emitter/detector pairs mounted on
the skirt.  Although its abilities were rudimentary, the company saw
great promise in Scamp.  iRobot supported this view by forming a team
to develop the rough prototype into a viable consumer product.



The shape of today's Roomba is round to maximize the
robot's ability to escape from obstacles-a round robot can always turn
in place.  The power system uses standard rechargeable batteries.
Battery capacity and an efficient cleaning mechanism typically give
the robot one to two hours of running time.  The robot's
microprocessor is a modest one.  It has a clock speed of 16 MHz, 256
bytes of RAM, and about 30 I/O lines.  Roomba's sensors include a
front-mounted bump sensor, cliff and wall sensors, a room confinement
sensor, a dirt sensor, drive wheel-mounted shaft encoders, a stasis
sensor (triggered when the robot tries but fails to move), and a
battery voltage sensor.  A total of five motors are incorporated into
Roomba's actuators.  A behavior-based programming scheme directs
Roomba.  The program contains numerous highly tuned strategies for
avoiding and escaping tight spots, stuck situations that don't trigger
the bump sensor, and other hazards.  Roomba's cleaning strategy
combines random bounce and wall following and is designed to maximally
cover the floor even in the presence of clutter.  (To learn more, read
Joseph Jones' article on Roomba in the March 2006 issue of the IEEE
Robotics and Automation Magazine.)


SPEAKER'S BIOGRAPHY

Joseph L. Jones is a senior roboticist at iRobot Corporation in
Burlington, Massachusetts, and has been with the company for 13 years.
  His primary interest is the practical application of robotic
technology to real-world problems.  Prior to joining iRobot, Mr. Jones
served on the research staff of the MIT Artificial Intelligence
Laboratory for nine years.  Earlier he studied physics at MIT earning
an SB in 1975 and an SM in 1978.  Mr. Jones is an author of three
books on robotics and is the designer of a popular robot kit.  He grew
up in a small rural community in the Missouri Ozarks.


MEETING INFORMATION

The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society will meet at Wellesley High
School, 50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA 02481, on Tuesday, April 11,
2006, at 6:00 PM for informal discussions and for the formal
presentation between 6:30 and 7:30 PM. The group will have a no-host
dinner afterwards at Bertucci's, 380 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA
02481, where more conversations can take place with the guest speaker.
The meetings are open to the general public, and all are welcome at
the dinner afterwards.

For more information, contact the chapter chair, Peter Meyer, at
781-334-0052 or Chair@Robotics-Boston.org.

DIRECTIONS

From Route 128, take either Route 9 or Route 16 west. From the
junction of Routes 9 and 16, follow Route 16 (Washington Street) west
past the Wellesley Hills commuter rail station (within walking
distance of the school, then turn left onto Rice Street. Wellesley
High School is on the left. Parking is available in a lot just beyond
the school.

For a Yahoo web map showing the location of Wellesley High School, go
to the following URL:

             http://tinyurl.com/exqwb

The GPS coordinates for Rice St. in front of the entrance to the high
school building are approximately as follows:

             N 42=B0 18.137'   W 71=B0 16.811'

The GPS coordinates for the parking lot in front of the entrance to
Bertucci's are approximately as follows:

             N 42=B0 18.492'   W 71=B0 16.691'

For more information about our Section and Chapter, visit our web site
at our registered domain URL:

             http://www.robotics-boston.org/