Earlier this 12 months, we reviewed the SwitchBot S10, a vacuuming and moist mopping robotic that makes use of a water-integrated docking system to autonomously handle each clear and soiled water for you. It’s a reasonably intelligent resolution, and we appreciated that SwitchBot was keen to attempt one thing just a little completely different.
At CES this week, SwitchBot launched the K20+ Professional, just a little autonomous vacuum that may combine with a bunch of various equipment by pulling them round on a backpack cart of types. The K20+ Professional is SwitchBot’s newest effort to discover what’s potential with mobile home robots.
SwitchBot’s small vacuum can transport completely different payloads on high.SwitchBot
What we’re here’s a “mini” robotic vacuum (it’s about 25 centimeters in diameter) that does every little thing a robotic vacuum does these days: It makes use of lidar to make a map of your own home with the intention to direct it the place to go, it’s bought a dock to empty itself and recharge, and so forth. The mini robotic vacuum is connected to a wheeled platform that SwitchBot is asking a “FusionPlatform” that sits on high of the robotic like a hat. The vacuum docks to this platform, after which the platform will go wherever the robotic goes. This complete system (robotic, dock, and platform) is the “K20+ Professional multitasking family robotic.”
SwitchBot refers back to the K20+ Professional as a “good supply assistant,” as a result of you possibly can put stuff on the FusionPlatform and the K20+ Professional will transfer that stuff round your own home for you. This actually doesn’t do it justice, although, as a result of the platform is far more than only a passive cell cart. It can also present energy to a bunch of various equipment, all of which profit from autonomous mobility:
The SwitchBot can carry a wide range of payloads, together with customized payloads.SwitchBot
From left to proper, you’re an air circulation fan, a pill stand, a vacuum and charging dock and an air air purifier and safety digital camera (and a stick vacuum for some purpose), and lastly simply the air air purifier and safety setup. It’s also possible to add and take away completely different bits, like in order for you the fan together with the safety digital camera, simply plop the safety digital camera down on the platform base in entrance of the fan and also you’re good to go.
This fundamental idea is considerably much like Amazon’s Proteus robot, within the sense that you could have one good powered base that strikes round a bunch of much less good and unpowered payloads by driving beneath them after which carrying them round. However SwitchBot’s payloads aren’t simply passive cargo, and the bottom can present them with a helpful quantity of energy.
An influence port permits you to develop your individual payloads for the robotic.SwitchBot
SwitchBot is actively encouraging customers to “to create, adapt, and personalize the robotic for all kinds of modern purposes,” which can embrace “3D-printed parts [or] third-party units with a number of energy ports for audio system, automotive fridges, and even UV sterilization lamps,” based on the press launch. The utmost payload is simply 8 kilograms, although, so don’t get too loopy.
A number of SwitchBots could make tub time far more satisfying.SwitchBot
What all of us wish to know is when somebody will put an arm on this factor, and SwitchBot is after all already engaged on this:
SwitchBot’s cell manipulator remains to be within the lab stage.SwitchBot
The arm remains to be “within the lab stage,” SwichBot says, which I’m guessing implies that the {hardware} is purposeful however that getting it to reliably do helpful stuff with the arm remains to be a piece in progress. However that’s okay—getting an arm to reliably do helpful stuff is a piece in progress for all of robotics, just about. And if SwitchBot can handle to provide an reasonably priced cell manipulation platform for shoppers that even form of works, that’ll be very spectacular.
