Taiwan makers use 3D printing to develop cleaning robots

Recently, at Instructables—a popular open-source hardware platform—Taiwan-based maker and industrial designer Jake Lee shared a fascinating project called the "Ultimate Panda," or simply "Panda." This robot is an upgraded version of his earlier cleaning robot design, featuring enhanced functionalities like suction, a roller brush, and a cleaner. According to Li Jiahong, the previous model was too small and had to be tethered to a power source, which limited its mobility. That's why he designed a larger version with a chassis measuring 17 cm x 17 cm, capable of cleaning both desks and floors. The robot moves randomly, detects obstacles, and avoids falling off edges, making it more versatile and user-friendly. The top, bottom, and middle housing components, along with two battery covers, gearboxes, and dust compartments, were 3D printed using a MakerBot 2x Replicator at 0.2 mm resolution. Xiaobian mentioned that he created three initial prototypes before finalizing all the dimensions. The robot uses multiple motors to drive its wheels, rollers, vacuum, and fan blades, while all electrical components are controlled by an Arduino UNO board. Although Lee used PRO_E for modeling, he emphasized that the choice of software isn't crucial—what matters is the creativity and execution. To improve suction, Lee added a brush-equipped roller and a cleaner. One of the main challenges was designing a gear system that could efficiently drive the drum and cleaner with minimal power. He eventually used three gears to connect the motor, cleaner, and roller, which not only saved battery life but also worked effectively. Lee submitted the project to the "3D Printing Contest" on Instructables. Although he hasn’t released the full STL files yet because he plans to enter another competition, his Instructables page still includes detailed step-by-step instructions, a few helpful videos, and a free eDrawing file that provides comprehensive information about the internal components. If you're interested, feel free to check it out. The entire project took him about a month to complete, and the total cost was surprisingly low—only NT$164 for all the parts.

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