INTRODUCING MAG: A WHITEBOARD CLEANING ROBOT
OUR TECHNOLOGY
The Whiteboard Cleaning Magnebot is a robot that autonomously cleans whiteboards. Once placed in the corner of a magnetic whiteboard, the two-wheeled bot will clean either a portion or the entirety of the whiteboard given a set of user inputs. The robot will be about the size of your palm and will stick to the whiteboard using magnets. It will include a newly designed cleaning system that will use a set of rotating pads. The new design will increase cleaning efficiency while the bot is in motion.
ENGINEERING FEATURES
MAGNETS
The MAG sticks to all magnetic whiteboards using a powerful neodymium magnet that is offset from the board. The magnetic force is powerful enough for the bot to stick to the board while static, as well as while in motion. In addition, the magnet acts as the normal force that allows the wheels to move the both and the cleaning mechanism to clean the bot. The bot can also be removed from the board quite easily through manual force.
CLEANING MECHANISM
The MAG uses a cleaning mechanism inspired by a New York City street cleaner in order to increase cleaning efficiency and ensure that a single pass over a block of text is enough to leave the board spotless. Two identical micro-fiber pads, powered by a single motor, rotate in opposite directions using a gearing mechanism. The mechanism is custom designed and will allow the bot to clean even the oldest marker stains.
PATH PLANNING
The MAG moves using a path planning algorithm that allows it clean the whole board, or portions of the board such as the right, left, top and right sides. A micro-controller onboard the bot connects to a remote iPhone app. When the user inputs the dimensions of the board and the portion of the board that it wants cleaned, the bot is on its way. This design allows for a single bot to be used on multiple boards and for user flexibility.
CAD
TEAM MEMBERS
George Ko
Scout Pepper
Jared Hanley
Alex Gutierrez
Arjun Gupta