Stringman: A Cable-Driven Robot Designed to Tidy Rooms
Instead of rolling across the floor on wheels, a robot called Stringman moves across an entire room using overhead cables.
Based on IEEE Spectrum Robotics
A robotics showcase by IEEE Spectrum highlighted an unusual home helper called Stringman, built by Neufangled Robotics. Most household robots either roll on wheels like vacuum cleaners or attempt to walk on legs. Stringman takes a different route by suspending itself from cables to move around a room and tidy up, carrying a price tag of 795 US dollars.
Cable-driven robots work by pulling against fixed anchor points mounted around a space. When onboard or wall motors wind up certain cables and let out others, the central unit glides through three dimensions above the floor. This design keeps the machine from getting trapped by thick rugs, door thresholds, or toys scattered across the carpet.
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Based on reporting by IEEE Spectrum Robotics.