Giant Roomba robot hacking?

October 20, 2008 6:28 PM

Giant Roomba - I'm looking for any information concerning hacking the Roomba's brain into something... bigger.

I've acquired a thrown-away Roomba and I would like to give it a bigger chassis, wheels and battery for the purposes of light duty industrial sized cleaning.

The ideal form-factor would be about as wide as a 55 gallon drum. It can be taller - having the feature to scoot under furniture isn't required. Wheels about 6 to 8" in diameter. 12V car battery, a small shop vac, larger hopper, possibly re-engineered brushes.

What I'm particularly looking for and having trouble finding is any Roomba hacking projects that totally rebuild the drivetrain and chassis into something larger and more robust.

I'm also looking for any personal experience or tips about Roomba hacking, or advice on how to translate the control and sensor signals for use on larger motors and rebuilt or replaced sensors.

posted by loquacious to technology (3 comments total)

The Roomba site has links to hacker sites. Might be a start.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 6:52 PM on October 20, 2008

I would like to see this in projects. With video. Featuring household pets.
Go baby go!
posted by Lesser Shrew at 7:03 PM on October 20, 2008

Giant Roomba Robot Hacking sounds like an equally weird sequel to Window Water Baby Moving.

Anyway, check this document and its references... Might provide some insights for re-engineering.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:05 AM on October 21, 2008 [1 favorite]