Page 194 - Hacking Roomba

Chapter 9 — Creating Art with Roomba 175

FIGURE 9-7: Ruler and clamp with sidewalk chalk

The canvas space should be around 6´ × 6´ square. Lay out the plastic tarp or old shower cur-
tain liner and tape it down with the painters tape. This forms the protective layer between the
markers and the floor. Then roll out two 5´ sections of craft paper and tape them on top of the
plastic. Figure 9-8 shows the result. Normally you will work within one of the sections and
only use half of it. You can usually get four drawings with the arrangement of Figure 9-8. But
by laying out two sections next to each other, you have the option of creating really large works
and you save setup time. If the seams between sections of craft paper stick up and catch Roomba,
they can be held down with more painters tape. If you want a truly invisible seam, use two-
sided adhesive tape.
The plastic provides another benefit: when it’s time to stop letting your Roomba be an artist,
it’s easy to roll up the plastic and paper assembly without disturbing the arrangement of the
paper.

Do not use the duct tape to attach the plastic to the floor. It could damage the finish of the floor.
The painter’s tape is designed to leave no residue and not harm finishes.