In recent years, as the demand for smart homes has grown, robotic vacuum cleaners have become essential tools for home cleaning. Modern robotic vacuums are increasingly intelligent, capable of automatically planning cleaning routes, avoiding obstacles, and even operating via voice control and other methods.

A robotic vacuum cleaner consists of chips, sensors, motors, batteries, and various cleaning and mobility structures. These components enable the robot to perceive its environment (sensors), make decisions (chip algorithms), and perform cleaning tasks (motors and roller brushes).

Generally, the "intelligence" of a robotic vacuum cleaner is primarily judged by its navigation, obstacle avoidance, and path planning capabilities. Navigation and obstacle avoidance are the core technologies that indicate the robot's level of intelligence, while effective path planning enhances its cleaning performance.

Navigation & Obstacle Avoidance Technology

Navigation is the "eye" of a robotic vacuum, enabling it to perceive its surroundings and take action. Currently, laser navigation and visual navigation are the most commonly used technologies on the market.

Laser navigation works by emitting a laser that scatters or refracts upon hitting an object's surface, creating a reflected image. The machine then calculates the distance and direction between the object and a baseline, similar to triangulation. Robotic vacuums with laser navigation technology are cost-effective and meet the needs of service robots. However, they can be less accurate over long distances and have longer response times.

Visual Navigation: Equipped with cameras and computer vision systems, robotic vacuums use visual information to navigate. They determine their location by identifying landmarks or features in the room and plan their cleaning path accordingly.

Robotic vacuum cleaners are typically equipped with various sensors, such as collision sensors, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and LIDAR. These sensors help the robot detect obstacles and adjust its path to avoid them.

- Collision sensors, often referred to as "fool-proof" obstacle avoidance, detect contact with an obstacle. When the robot encounters an obstacle, it immediately stops and changes direction to prevent damage to itself or the obstacle.

- Infrared obstacle avoidance works by emitting infrared rays and measuring the distance to obstacles based on the reflected light. However, it may be affected when measuring dark objects.

- Ultrasonic sensors utilize bionic ultrasonic technology, akin to the echolocation used by whales and bats, to detect household items and spatial orientation. They offer high sensitivity but come with a relatively high technical cost.

SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is an advanced navigation technology enabling robots to create maps while determining their own positions on them simultaneously. Typically, this technology integrates various sensors like lasers, cameras, and inertial measurement units to achieve accurate positioning and map generation. It not only aids robots in self-location within the environment but also facilitates path planning for obstacle avoidance.

Multi-function cleaning

The latest generation of robotic vacuum cleaners feature upgraded motors and versatile cleaning modes tailored to various types of debris, including dust, hair, and debris. Certain models even incorporate mopping functions for simultaneous wet and dry cleaning. Additionally, some models offer automatic dust collection, swiftly depositing waste into a dust bag post-cleaning for added convenience and efficiency.

Smartphone Connect

Currently, numerous sweeping robot brands offer dedicated mobile applications or voice assistants to enable basic remote control capabilities. Users can schedule cleaning times, adjust cleaning modes, and define cleaning areas through these platforms. Moreover, users can access historical cleaning records and statistics of the sweeping robot within the application. Additionally, there is a voice function allowing users to initiate commands verbally, particularly beneficial for elderly individuals and children spending extended periods at home.