Robot Vacuums With Lidar Make Cleaning Easier

A Tikom L9000 Robot Vacuum with Mop Combo vacuum maps its environment to help it avoid running into obstacles and efficiently navigate. This technology is similar to the technology used in aerospace and self-driving cars.

Simple robots come with bump sensors to prevent them from scuffing up your paint or scratching chair legs, but more sophisticated navigation systems like Lidar and SLAM are far better at avoiding unexpected. This technology is costly.

Lidar

Lidar, also known as light detection range, has been the biggest improvement in robot vacuums in the past decade. Lidar is a sensor that sends out laser beams and measures the time it takes them to return to the sensor, and converts the data into precise distance measurements that can be used to map. Lidar makes it easier for robots to avoid and navigate around objects particularly in low-light environments.

Even though most modern robotic vacuums are equipped with some kind of obstacle detection, some are still struggling with charging cords, socks and other everyday household items that are easily stuck on the floor. A weak obstacle detection system can seriously hamper the cleaning performance of the robot vacuum and result in a lot of wasted time. You will have to stop it and manually remove the object is tangled.

The top robotic vacuums that use lidar have powerful object detection abilities which will ensure that your floors remain free of knots and other debris. You'll also find that they are less likely to get stuck on furniture legs or other things that are common obstructions in narrow spaces and narrow hallways.

Certain robots with lidar have a digital keep-out zones, which allows you to create a virtual line on the map that stops the robovacs from cleaning certain areas of your apartment or your home. This is great for preventing the vacuum from accidentally vacuuming up the expensive area rug or the cat litter box.

A robot equipped with lidar can also recognize stairs. While getting a robot to climb stairs is still a difficult task, many models with lidar are able climb them with no difficulty.

Other sensors you might want to keep an eye on include infrared sensors that can detect walls, furniture, and other objects to help the robot navigate; 3D ToF sensor which uses reflected infrared to detect and calculate the location of objects; and cliff sensors which warn the vacuum whenever it gets close to an edge.

Gyroscopes

Gyroscopes are more common on robots that are budget-friendly and work as wheels that spin quickly to let the robot know the position it's in with regards to obstacles. These are more common in budget robots and work as a fast-spinning wheels that let the vacuum know where it is relative to obstacles. Some models even utilize gyroscopes to create an initial home map, which can be useful to keep track of your surroundings and ensuring that you clean it up properly.

SLAM which stands for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, is a different popular navigation technique for robot vacuums and is available across different price points. This method is used to create a 3-D image of your room to allow the robot to form an accurate map and navigate through it in a rational manner. This is a major advancement over previous bounce-and-bang robots which would simply move through your space, bounce off everything they came across until the job was done.

In addition to making maps, the majority of robots that make use of SLAM can display them in an app, so you can see where your cleaner is at any given moment. You can also set no-go zones and other settings based on maps. This is particularly helpful for homes with a lot of furniture, as it is difficult to determine where everything is without an actual home map.

While SLAM is effective in most situations, it's not so good in detecting small obstacles, like wires or cables that could get trapped in the vacuum's brush. This is a major flaw, since many robots tend to take on these objects and damage them.

Luckily, the majority of robots that use SLAM come with obstacles detection and drop detectors technology. These sensors keep the vacuum from falling down stairs or significant differences in flooring levels, which can cause serious damage. Most robots have cliff sensors, too which are beneficial when you have a pet that will try to jump over it to get to its water or food bowl. These sensors are situated on the bumpers of the vacuum. They send out a signal if the vacuum is located near a thing that could cause harm to it.

Wall Sensors

The ability of a robotic vacuum to navigate around your home is dependent on a combination of sensors. Models that are budget-friendly may employ bump sensors and lights that rotate to detect obstacles. However, the top models include mapping, self navigation systems that save maps (some retain or send this information to a company) and digital keep-out zones that prevent robots accidentally knocking furniture legs or pinging cables.

Some robots utilize SLAM or simultaneous localization mapping. They map the room before they start cleaning and then refer to the map during the entire run. This makes them a lot more efficient, since they know exactly where they've been and avoid repeating the same areas of the room. These maps can be shared and viewed within the robot's application. This is beneficial if you want to set zones for cleaning or no-go zones.

Another important navigation sensor you'll want to look for is a gyroscope. The gyroscope uses spinning wheels or a rapidly rotating beam of light to determine distances between your robot vacuum lidar and obstacles in your home. This data is then used to create a map your bot can refer to as it moves about your space. Robots without this technology can get stuck on cords and rug, and wander across the floor instead of following the edges.

The best robots have various obstacles avoidance techniques, which can include 3D structured light, 3D ToF (time of flight) monocular or binocular vision-based LiDAR. The more advanced the technology is, the more precise and intuitive your robot's navigation will be. This translates into more thorough, low-maintenance cleaning as well as the possibility of establishing no-go zones to protect your electronics and other valuables from damage that could be caused by accident. The newest generation of gyroscopes that are more precise and operate well in low light, can even detect changes in the lighting of your home to allow the robot to perceive more clearly.

Sensors Optic

A robot vacuum with lidar can create a 3D map to help you navigate your surroundings more efficiently and avoid hitting obstacles. This is done by directing a laser beam which bounces off surfaces before returning to the sensor. The sensor then measures the time it takes for the beam to return, which converts into distance measurements, allowing the robot to create an image of your room's arrangement.

Lidar is quicker and more precise than cameras, which some robots use to map rooms. Based on the model, a robot equipped with lidar might have a "no-go" zone feature that allows you to create zones that are not accessible to your robot. In our testing we found the top models that use this technology to be Neato Botvac D8 and iRobot Braava 450, which have easy-to-setup "no-go" zones in the app.

The iRobot Duo+ is another fantastic option that utilizes LiDAR and other sensors to build an precise map of your home, which it can use to navigate. The app also gives you control over the mapping process so you can alter the boundaries of your home when needed.

Other technologies that aid in the navigation of robots include 3D structured light, which determines the distance of objects by detecting their reflective properties and 3D ToF (time of flight) that scans a room to measure the speed and direction of light reflections. Some robots also use binocular and monocular visions to identify objects and avoid them.

All of these sensors work to enable robots to overcome obstacles in a variety ways and this is an integral part of the reason these machines are so convenient to have around. It's crucial to think about your needs prior to buying a robot vacuum. Consider how long you'd like to devote to preparing your floors prior to cleaning, how many obstacles are there in your home and if you'd like the robot to do more than just vacuum. We suggest you establish an amount that will include an option with all the features you need.