Roomba adds a new workshop bot to their line up, last week they announced a pet version too… – “The same size and shape as the iRobot Roomba® Vacuuming Robot, iRobot Dirt Dog features an oversized, bagless debris bin that is approximately 40 percent larger than Roomba’s bin. The robot also features two counter-rotating bristle brushes that spin at nearly 1,000 rotations per minute to pick up heavy debris such as nails, wood chips and small shop scraps. With brushes specially designed to sweep up dirt that clings to rough surfaces, the robot is recommended for use on hard floors, shop carpets and industrial surfaces only.” [via] – Link.
I’m going to ping them and see if they one can be modded/hacked like the current ones.
Related:
Every Roomba hack, mod and how-to known to humankind – Link.
22 thoughts on “iRobot’s new Workshop Robot… Dirt Dog!”
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I’d bet it is compatible. From the photo, it has the same cover over the SCI (ROI) serial port as the other Roombas.
btw, new hack: control your Roomba with your cell phone!
Now, can they make one that’s selective enough to only suck up the screws and washers I don’t need? :)
I am still trying to get the Soomba off Woot.com!
My problem is that the workshop floor has a lot more then just small things. Will this for example avoid a big pile of junk, or a extension cord?
Stokes, you may be able to hack a roomba to do that, mabye some sort of magnetic pickup instead of a brush.
It would have to be automatically scraped off into the bin though.
I would bet the Dirt Dog would still use the existing specification, they would just repurpose the existing motors. Heck, I use my roomba to vacuum my garage as it is, it just gets REALLLY dirty (Roomba, that is..)
if anyone would like to program Roomba in C#, I wrote an open source framework..
https://sourceforge.net/projects/roomba-term/
at $129 thats cheaper than Roomba Red. I’d be really interested to hear how it works on this new Dirt Dog..
oh yes, you probably need some hardware to connect your computer to the Roomba:
you can either buy an RS232, USB or wireless interface:
http://www.roombadevtools.com/
or create your own cable:
http://flickr.com/photos/todbot/sets/72057594051313379/
or buy Roomba Add-ons:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=685
As far as practical use: You could use Roomba as a platform to build a robotic arm or something else upon, using: http://mindstorms.lego.com/
Don’t forget to Download Visual Studio express! (Free)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualcsharp/
Kevin G.
Anybody know how well it works on metal chips?
I own both the roomba and the scooba and this is the first I’ve heard of this latest addition. I am eager to add to the family. I am beyond satisfied with the original team. To think I could have something that would clean up my more industrial refuse has me giddy!
I own both the roomba and the scooba and this is the first I’ve heard of this latest addition. I am eager to add to the family. I am beyond satisfied with the original team. To think I could have something that would clean up my more industrial refuse has me giddy!
I own both the roomba and the scooba and this is the first I’ve heard of this latest addition. I am eager to add to the family. I am beyond satisfied with the original team. To think I could have something that would clean up my more industrial refuse has me giddy!
I own both the roomba and the scooba and this is the first I’ve heard of this latest addition. I am eager to add to the family. I am beyond satisfied with the original team. To think I could have something that would clean up my more industrial refuse has me giddy!
I own a dirt dog and wouldn’t give it up for nothing. It’s a multi-purpoes chowhound and doesn’t seem to be stopped by any bone I throw its way. Hyperbole aside, I am very please with this product and would recommend it to any who has a shop, work space, or outdoor space that needs a regular sprucing.
We bought one after my wife begged me for a roomba. I was so impressed with it that I bought it’s dirt doggin’ cousin. I’m sure it would work on any of the above mentioned debris. All I can say is try it out. You’ll be impressed.