Robot--For cleaning evestroughs

[Brian Rupnow]

Good Lord---what will they think of next??? I just spotted this on the "other" forum, and its so neat I decided to post it. Maybe I'll make one of them with a steam engine on it. ;D ;D
[ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OEfulldLx_U[/ame]

 

[BobWarfield]

I was just at a fellow's shop for a tour. It's a gorgeous shop belonging to a wealthy individual. I remarked that it seemed awfully clean and asked him if there was a cleaning crew or if he just wasn't using the shop much. He said no crew, and yes he used the shop, but that he had robots to clean up the chips. As we walked up to his Bridgeport mill and lathe, I could see there were indeed some chips here and there on the machines. Back behind a bench he had 2 of these Roomba shop bots docked and recharging:

http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2475131&cp=2804605.3334468&sr=1

He says they work great to pick up chips from the floor. They "wake up" every night to pick up chips. I asked whether they ever got stuck, and he said every once in a while, but you just kick them free and they move on.

 

[bentprop]

But you still have to climb up and down that darned ladder!And how does it go on wet leaves,etc.?

 

[Tin Falcon]

Cool idea but those critter need ROOM to move
Tin

 

[Brian Rupnow]

But you still have to climb up and down that darned ladder!And how does it go on wet leaves,etc.?

Actually there is a video link over on that "other" website, showing one of those evestrough robots rooting thru a grungy, yucky old evestrough full of wet decaying leaves, and it does a surprisingly good job.