Scrubber Home Return to the main GEN-X Scrubber page.
Accountability
A full collection of reports give total accountability.
Cleaning
The GEN-X improves cleaning performance.
Cost Reduction
The GEN-X reduces costs
in several ways.
Diagnostics
Diagnostic tools built into every GEN-X.
Ease of Use
Easy to use, and even easier to maintain.
Safety
Smarter than ever means safer than ever.
Navigation is perhaps the most important component of the GEN-X because
it is the key to autonomous operation as well as safety. The Advanced
Navigation System of the GEN-X allows the robot operate in the widest
variety of configurations. Simply put, the GEN-X can clean any
area that can be cleaned with a walk-behind or ride-on floor
cleaner...and more! Advanced Navigation also makes the setup of
the robot quick and easy for even an inexperienced operator. To
understand how the GEN-X can safely navigate autonomously, let's take a
look at the three primary considerations for navigation.
Acquire an Area
The first component in navigating an area successfully is learn and memorize the layout of all rooms, hallways and corridors to be cleaned. The robot needs to know how large each area is end-to-end and side-to-side, and whether the walls are parallel. The robot gathers this information completely automatically...the operator simply chooses a starting position within the area and issues a single command from the touch screen. The robot will drive across the center of the area, using it's powerful sonar sensor array to acquire measurements of the area. Additional Infrared Sensors monitor the floor ahead of the robot in order to detect gaps or drops in the floor.
Routes
Once it reaches the wall opposite from its start point, it will calculate the size and shape of the area and determine the optimum path to follow to clean that space. The robot will store a map of each area and the route it will take in order to clean the area. The operator can name each route for easy reference, such as "main lobby". This same process is also used for "one-touch" cleaning. Since the robot can navigate a single area completely on its own, it does not have to be mapped in advance to be cleaned. An operator can take the robot into an area and clean it with a single command from the touch screen. This function is especially useful for areas that are not cleaned regularly or for operators not completely trained on the robot.
Moves
The second consideration for autonomous navigation is to be able to move from one cleaning area to the next, without human intervention. Intellibot refers to these non-cleaning links between areas as "moves". A "move" is whenever the robot drives from the end point of one route to the starting point of the next. A move may only be a few feet to position the robot in the next room, or far away to skip over an area or enter another part of a building. Operators often include a move at the end of a shift that returns the robot back to its storage location. With all areas of a building mapped, an operator can connect individual routes with moves in order to build a single route that cleans an entire floor, level, or portion of a building. The operator then only needs to walk the robot to the pre-determined starting point, select the appropriate route, and send the robot on it's way
Accuracy and Repeatability
The third component in navigation is being able to follow a route with accuracy and repeatability. The GEN-X follows a pre-determined route, but never drives completely from memory. In order to ensure that the robot follows route as intended, the sonar array constantly checks it's position relative to the walls, and makes adjustments as needed. An internal gyroscope and electronic wheel encoders also track the rotation of the robot and distance traveled, feeding additional information to the navigation system.
Obstacle Avoidance
The final component in safe navigation is obstacle avoidance. The sensor array of the GEN-X continually monitors the environment around the robot as it is in motion. This allows the robot to navigate around furniture, posts and columns, as well as wall-mounted objects such as fire extinguishers and water fountains. Active navigation will also account for changes in the layout of a room, such as open doors or partitions that have been rearranged, and for pedestrians who unknowingly enter the path of the robot. (click for more on safety)
Acquire an Area
The first component in navigating an area successfully is learn and memorize the layout of all rooms, hallways and corridors to be cleaned. The robot needs to know how large each area is end-to-end and side-to-side, and whether the walls are parallel. The robot gathers this information completely automatically...the operator simply chooses a starting position within the area and issues a single command from the touch screen. The robot will drive across the center of the area, using it's powerful sonar sensor array to acquire measurements of the area. Additional Infrared Sensors monitor the floor ahead of the robot in order to detect gaps or drops in the floor.
Routes
Once it reaches the wall opposite from its start point, it will calculate the size and shape of the area and determine the optimum path to follow to clean that space. The robot will store a map of each area and the route it will take in order to clean the area. The operator can name each route for easy reference, such as "main lobby". This same process is also used for "one-touch" cleaning. Since the robot can navigate a single area completely on its own, it does not have to be mapped in advance to be cleaned. An operator can take the robot into an area and clean it with a single command from the touch screen. This function is especially useful for areas that are not cleaned regularly or for operators not completely trained on the robot.
Moves
The second consideration for autonomous navigation is to be able to move from one cleaning area to the next, without human intervention. Intellibot refers to these non-cleaning links between areas as "moves". A "move" is whenever the robot drives from the end point of one route to the starting point of the next. A move may only be a few feet to position the robot in the next room, or far away to skip over an area or enter another part of a building. Operators often include a move at the end of a shift that returns the robot back to its storage location. With all areas of a building mapped, an operator can connect individual routes with moves in order to build a single route that cleans an entire floor, level, or portion of a building. The operator then only needs to walk the robot to the pre-determined starting point, select the appropriate route, and send the robot on it's way
Accuracy and Repeatability
The third component in navigation is being able to follow a route with accuracy and repeatability. The GEN-X follows a pre-determined route, but never drives completely from memory. In order to ensure that the robot follows route as intended, the sonar array constantly checks it's position relative to the walls, and makes adjustments as needed. An internal gyroscope and electronic wheel encoders also track the rotation of the robot and distance traveled, feeding additional information to the navigation system.
Obstacle Avoidance
The final component in safe navigation is obstacle avoidance. The sensor array of the GEN-X continually monitors the environment around the robot as it is in motion. This allows the robot to navigate around furniture, posts and columns, as well as wall-mounted objects such as fire extinguishers and water fountains. Active navigation will also account for changes in the layout of a room, such as open doors or partitions that have been rearranged, and for pedestrians who unknowingly enter the path of the robot. (click for more on safety)