A team of researchers at Northeastern University recently developed a soft robotic arm that can handle chores that go beyond vacuuming and mopping.
Aptly dubbed SCCRUB (Surface Cleaning Compliant Robot Utilizing Bristles), the new robotic arm can successfully scrub surfaces clean with the power of a drill, reportedly removing over 99% of residue adhered to them.
Source: Jakub Kowalewski
According to its developers, SCCRUB features three main components: a counter-rotating scrubber brush, a deep learning-based software controller that plans the actions necessary to clean and robot components dubbed TRUNC cells.
"TRUNC stands for torsionally rigid universal couplings," explained the researchers. "These cells can bend, extend, and flex while transmitting torque. By chaining and nesting them, we build a robot arm that is lightweight and soft but able to put a hand drill's worth of torque through the arm. This allows us to make the arm safe for contacting surfaces and working around people while delivering the power needed to scrub dirt and grime."
A machine learning-based controller plans the actions of the SCCRUB robot while the brush attachment for the SCCRUB arm uses a planetary gear box to counter-rotate the brush.
"By canceling out the frictional forces, the counter-rotating brush allows the soft arm to firmly press into a surface while maintaining its position," the researchers added.
During trials of a SCCRUB prototype, the robotic arm successfully cleaned a glass plate that was previously placed in the microwave with ketchup on it and a toilet seat with blueberry fruit preserve adhered to it, removing nearly all the residue.
An article detailing the robot, “Surface Cleaning Compliant Robot Utilizing Bristles,” appears in the journal arXiv.
For more on the SCCRUB, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Northeastern University.
