Abstract

Commercial robot vacuum cleaners typically treat all obstacles as stationary, leading to potential collisions with humans or pets. This research addresses this limitation by developing a robot vacuum cleaner capable of distinguishing between animate and inanimate obstacles. A Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor is utilised to detect the movement of humans and pets through infrared radiation, while a limit switch (also known as a bumper sensor) identifies stationary objects. To ensure efficient and thorough cleaning, an S-shape navigation algorithm is implemented. This algorithm guides the robot to systematically cover the entire floor area while minimizing redundant movements and power consumption. The robot's movements are controlled by an Arduino UNO microcontroller, which receives sensor data and executes commands to drive the DC motors for locomotion and activate the cleaning mechanisms. The performance of the developed robot vacuum cleaner was evaluated through rigorous testing. Results demonstrate successful implementation of the S-shape navigation algorithm while effectively detecting and avoiding human and pet obstacles thus, preventing collisions and potential damage while enhancing user experience. The robot vacuum prototyped in this study is a low-cost option for domestic cleaning purposes.

Copyright of the paper named above is hereby assigned and transferred to the Nigerian Journal of Applied Science and Innovative Technology published by College of Engineering, Bells University of Technology, Nigeria.