LG's Hom-Bot Seeks To Replace Shantabai

LG's Hom-Bot Seeks To Replace Shantabai

Nachiket 'therapist' Mhatre, Feb 02, 2012 1547 hrs IST

Robotic vacuum cleaner uses sensors to automatically travel across rooms.

Not happy with your cleaning lady? How about replacing her with one that never complains or calls in sick? You're in luck, because LG has launched the LrV5900 robotic vacuum cleaner. Christened as the Hom-Bot, this automated gadget is intelligent enough to navigate through your house without bumping into any furniture. It is equipped with a microfibre mop for hard surfaces, in addition to main and side brushes to handle carpets as well. LG claims that the main motor is powerful enough to pick up large dust particles, while restricting noise levels to under 60 dB (the average refrigerator generates 50 dB).

The Hom-Bot features two cameras and five ultrasonic sensors to aid navigation. The top camera snaps 30 images per second for spatial awareness, whereas the bottom sensor analyses the floor 2000 times per second. The ultrasonic sensors feed the CPU with positional data to avoid obstacles and recalculate alternate paths. What's more, this vacuum cleaner touts the ability to follow cyclic cleaning schedules that require no user intervention, except when its dust bag gets full.

While the device is powered by a Lithium-polymer power source, battery life is of little concern because this puppy can automatically run to its docking station for a recharge. A height of just 9 cm allows the gadget to clean under furniture without breaking a sweat. An inbuilt HEPA filter is good news for those with respiratory ailments. The Hom-Bot even features a top-loading dustbin for hassle-free cleaning.

However, all this doesn't come cheap, as the robo cleaner retails for a whopping Rs 44,000. That should get you enough Shantabais to last a lifetime.