Page 400 - Hacking Roomba

Chapter 16 — Other Projects 381

FIGURE 16-19: Checking which parts are emitters and receivers

Summary

Roomba owners have done a dizzying number of things with their Roombas. This list of exist-
ing hacks in this chapter is far from complete, and new ones are being created all the time.
From the projects in the book and the ones on the Net, you may wonder if there’s anything
new to do with Roomba. However, any programmable system is infinitely deep in terms of
what can be done with it. The Roomba, because of its extensibility, is even more so. Hacks
using multiple Roombas or alternative sensors have barely been attempted. The ROI protocol
that allows so many of these projects has only been available for a short time. The projects peo-
ple have accomplished so far have focused mainly on just getting that to work. Now that low-
level communication has been established, it’s time to start doing some really innovative things.
Roomba is a great low-cost platform for robotics exploration. What was once available to only
academics is now for sale in every department store. Try out some of these hacks, invent some
new ones, and let others know by posting your findings on one of the web sites mentioned in
this chapter.