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Robot Window cleaner — Parallax Forums

Robot Window cleaner

RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
edited 2013-03-31 06:04 in Robotics
This is a new gadget I just read about:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/robot-clean-windows-well-170945635.html

What's next?

Comments

  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2013-01-31 11:11
    Last fall I bought the iRobot looj. http://www.irobot.com/us/robots/home/looj.aspx
    I live in a wooded area with lots of maple and pine trees. I have to clean my gutters at least twice a year and should really do it more often. Typically this involves getting out the tall ladder and climbing up on the roof with my leaf blower. I have about 300' of gutter and it usually takes at least an hour of blowing the gutters clear. Luckily, my roof is of the low pitch type so walking around up there is fairly easy. At 69 years and climbing, though, it is getting to be a chore. The pine straw is very difficult to blow out since it knits itself into immovable blobs.
    With the Looj, I still have to get the ladder out, but I don't climb on the roof (well, not until I'm finished - I'm a perfectionist so I have to blow the gutters absolutely clean - I know...). I just set the Looj in the gutter and hit switch on the remote. I do need to monitor it because it will get stuck in the dense pine straw. Sometimes I have to move the ladder down and physically adjust it, but it does all of the work and gets the gutters plenty clean. I really wouldn't have to get up on the roof if I wasn't so anal...
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-01-31 17:09
    That is quite cool. Just add some spider legs to it so it can get up to the window with no human contact!!!! Better yet, we need to have a MULTI purpose bot. Thr Roomba vacuums, the Looj does the gutters and this one does windows. We need Rosie!!!!! (From the Jetson's cartoon for all you youngsters out there.)
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2013-02-02 06:05
    dmagnus wrote: »
    iRobot looj.... I have to clean my gutters at least twice a year .... up on the roof if I wasn't so anal...

    If you haven't tried this, its a cheap fairly elegant solution. At $2 a yard it might be cheaper and more effective than a bot.

    http://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/roofing-soffits-gutters/gutter-accessories/quik-snap-gutter-screen/p-1443498-c-5812.htm

    I put these up about 6 years ago after battling the zillion maple tree whipgigs in spring and leaves in fall. So far, only maintenance was due to a bird, which pried up one corner and built a nest. Only other problem was that four of my neighbors wanted me to put them up and their gutters too.

    Of course, I'd rather have a bot. If it could only make its own way to the gutter and back down....
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2013-02-02 13:21
    prof_braino wrote: »
    If you haven't tried this, its a cheap fairly elegant solution. At $2 a yard it might be cheaper and more effective than a bot.

    http://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/roofing-soffits-gutters/gutter-accessories/quik-snap-gutter-screen/p-1443498-c-5812.htm

    I put these up about 6 years ago after battling the zillion maple tree whipgigs in spring and leaves in fall. So far, only maintenance was due to a bird, which pried up one corner and built a nest. Only other problem was that four of my neighbors wanted me to put them up and their gutters too.

    Of course, I'd rather have a bot. If it could only make its own way to the gutter and back down....

    A long extension pole with an electromagnet would get it up and down.
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2013-02-02 13:28
    Actually, my neighbor had those or something like them. Trouble is the pine straw would stick one end down the holes and build a fence that trapped all of the other stuff. He still had to get up there a couple of times a year and pull the pine straw out of the holes. Took him forever. Then they have something called Leaf Guard. Really neat and works very well. Trouble is for my little house the cost was $5000.
    I'm happy with my looj and leaf blower. Until I get too old to get up and down the ladder - then I'll hire a kid. Hmmm, I should hire a kid now - tell him he gets to use a ROBOT!
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2013-02-03 07:31
    dmagnus wrote: »
    Hmmm, I should hire a kid now - tell him he gets to use a ROBOT!

    Now you're talking proper use of technology! Bait to get a kid to do the work! I will use this.

    @kwinn - I don't know if I could even lift a 16 foot pole like that up to the gutter. 3 pounds robot and whatever for the electromagnet at the end of a long poll sounds like something is about to drop onto my head. But this is the part of the problem that needs a novel solution, how to get the bot to the gutter. Now, if the bot could CLIMB the pole.... and into the gutter.... and back down...Hmmm
  • RS_JimRS_Jim Posts: 1,762
    edited 2013-02-05 04:51
    Now this would be perfect for my 11 second story windows! Just need to figure out how to get it to remove the solar screens and get up to the windows!
    Jim
  • AJ-9000AJ-9000 Posts: 52
    edited 2013-03-24 22:08
    This looks a lot like the Winbot but it uses two bots (one on the outside of the window and one on the inside) with magnets instead of suction force to hold it on the window.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FIMYZ6ubgY
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2013-03-24 23:29
    prof_braino wrote: »
    Now you're talking proper use of technology! Bait to get a kid to do the work! I will use this.

    @kwinn - I don't know if I could even lift a 16 foot pole like that up to the gutter. 3 pounds robot and whatever for the electromagnet at the end of a long poll sounds like something is about to drop onto my head. But this is the part of the problem that needs a novel solution, how to get the bot to the gutter. Now, if the bot could CLIMB the pole.... and into the gutter.... and back down...Hmmm

    A hollow pole with a motorized mechanism (similar to raising a flag) to hoist the electromagnet and robot to the gutter. The weight would be at the bottom so it would not be that hard to tilt the pole up and lean it against the gutter. When it comes to robots when there is a will there is a way to get it where you want it.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2013-03-25 16:58
    At 1:58 take a look at the sides of the Windows. They're still dirty.
  • AJ-9000AJ-9000 Posts: 52
    edited 2013-03-30 02:33
    kwinn wrote: »
    A hollow pole with a motorized mechanism (similar to raising a flag) to hoist the electromagnet and robot to the gutter. The weight would be at the bottom so it would not be that hard to tilt the pole up and lean it against the gutter. When it comes to robots when there is a will there is a way to get it where you want it.

    How about hoisting it up by hand using a pulley permanently attatched to the house, see drawing.
    A couple of possible problems is it might be to far away to operate the Looj with the remote control from the ground and how to know where the Looj is. For that I would suggest a camera/monitor setup with the camera attatched to the top of the pole.
    picture 111.jpg
    1024 x 1007 - 61K
  • dmagnusdmagnus Posts: 271
    edited 2013-03-31 06:04
    About the only problem i've experienced with the Looj is, when it's in very difficult conditions (like mine), it can tend to flip itself over and occasionally flip right out of the gutter if not monitored. Sometimes I have to move the ladder to where it is to get it "out of trouble". Usually, if it flips over, you can bring it back and manually flip it back upright. The only difference when it's flipped over is that forward is back and vice-versa, so the automatic mode doesn't work and you have to control it with the remote. So, basically, if you can't convieniently reach your gutters to monitor the Looj, you really can't use it The remote is good up to about 30'.
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