Sahil Karkhanis

TubBot is a robotic bathtub cleaner designed and developed for a San Francisco based entrepreuner. It is an autonomous, programmable, adaptive device that can clean bathtubs of any shape, size or construction, unattended. The project team has just completed the detailed hardware engineering on the product and the project is set to move into the software development phase followed by a prototyping run.

The compact and lightweight product exudes character, exhibiting two distinct personalities- a cute and mischievous bug in the dormant mode and a purposeful creature with decidedly predatory overtones in the active mode. The transition from dormant to active is an intentional point of visual interest as a benign form transforms to take on a task it was built to perform.

TubBot is deployed with a host of low cost, but effective IR sensors that, coupled with a terrain mapping algorithm, allow it to sense and recognise the environment. TubBot's microprocessor is capable of planning a cleaning cycle based on this data and the robotic arm with its articulated cleaning head allow the product to clean even traditionally hard to reach areas around handles, faucets and drainholes.

Much like a washing machine, TubBot can deploy one of several pre-programmed cleaning cycles. User input is through an intuitive remote control that employs soft-keys a modal interface. The product communicates through a prominent LED 'eye' on the tip of its arm. The eye is capable of flashing three different colours that indicate the three different scenarios where user intervention may be required.