Design & Implementation of an IoT- Based Smart Robotic Vacuum Cleaner for Smart Home Environment

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a smart robotic vacuum cleaner based on Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, named IO-VAC, specifically developed for smart home environments. The paper covers both the mechanical and electronic aspects of the robot’s development. A 2D layout was created using ArchiCAD to define the positioning of components and sensor angles when designing the robot, followed by a 3D model to visualize the final design. The robot chassis was fabricated using reinforced plastic to ensure durability and lightweight structure. The IO-VAC is controlled using an Arduino Mega board programmed in C/C++. Where, the system includes three ultrasonic sensors for obstacle avoidance, along with an infrared (IR) sensor for edge detection to prevent falls. The embedded system of IO-VAC integrates an ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, allowing for remote control via the Blynk IoT platform to enable users to control the robot’s movement (forward, backward, left, right), adjust suction power, select the desired cleaning algorithm, and monitor the battery level in real-time. In this paper three movement algorithms were developed: random, spiral and zigzag, and their performance was tested on two types of surfaces smooth and rough to ensure reliability and efficiency in various cleaning conditions after testing the validation of IO-VAC. Based on the test results of robot performance, the zigzag algorithm proved to be the most effective in terms of covered area, cleaning mission time, power consumption and minimizing redundancy. This work demonstrates an effective integration of embedded systems with IoT technologies, offering a smart and cost-efficient solution for automating household cleaning tasks.