Open-source mini industrial robotic arm

The FAQs of Brobot desktop robotic arms

1.       After connecting accessories such as end tools, why can't I use the robotic arm when I click the corresponding function?

After connecting the accessories to the robot arm or controller, you need to click "Refresh" in the software for the accessories to work normally. You can check whether the accessories are connected normally in the "Operation Panel" on the right side of the software.

2.       What should I do when the software prompts an obstacle is detected?

When the desktop robotic arm encounters resistance, the current of the servo will suddenly increase. By reading the current value of the servo, you can determine whether an obstacle has been encountered. You can click the current threshold in "Settings"-"Obstacle Detection" to adjust the sensitivity of the robot arm.

3.       The software shows that the scale jump needs to calibrate the robot arm, but it prompts that the calibration has failed. What should I do?

Close the software, shake the arm of the robot arm a few times with your hands, then restart the controller, and perform the calibration again after the robot arm is turned on.

4.       What should I do if the education robot arm is abnormal during movement?

Immediately press the emergency stop button on the software. After pressing the button, the robotic arm loses its rigidity and the light band is in red alarm state.

5.       How do I calibrate the color sensor?

      After confirming that the color sensor is connected to the software, click "Settings"-"Scene Demo". Place a white disc on the color sensor, click Calibration, and then place other color discs at will. Click the Photo to see if the displayed color is the color of the current disc.

The Brobot desktop robotic arm is Teaching & Playback

Control the Brobot education robotic arm with your hand gesture

How to plan a path on G70 autonomous floor scrubber?

A New Machine to Clean Up Back Streets

Nowadays, with the gradual increase of urbanization, people's yearning for a better life is even stronger. As an important part of urban governance, urban environmental sanitation management not only needs to ensure the cleanliness of the “facade” of the main street, but also pay attention to the “inside” of the back streets.

Usually, due to the narrow roads in the back streets, manual cleaning is inefficient and costly. Wuhan DDROBO Robotics Co., Ltd. recently launched a small, multi-functional outdoor vacuum cleaner, which is the ideal solution for cleaning the back streets. Compact, easy to use and 100% electric, it enhances your city’s quality of life and attractiveness. With a turning radius of less than 2 meters, the street vacuum cleaner can move freely in the back streets. Thanks to the automatic follow-up system, the urban vacuum cleaner can automatically recognize and follow the operator, which is more comfortable than holding the broom to sweep the rubbish.

Operating with no noise and zero emissions, DDROBO street vacuum cleaner minimizes environmental air pollution. For garbage such as cigarette butts in the cobblestone, the operator only needs to hold the 12cm diameter suction pipe directly to the garbage, and the garbage will be removed into the 240L trash can. If the operator encounter that cannot be sucked in through the suction hose, he can pick them up with the broom kit and drop in the large side bin. It is also equipped with headlights that can be used in the fog or in the early hours of the morning.

Electric Street Vacuum Cleaner in China

Street vacuum cleaner, also known as an urban vacuum cleaner or outdoor waste vacuum cleaner, etc., is a new type of cleaning equipment. It designed for picking up all kinds of waste that can pass through a tube 12cm in diameter. It deals efficiently with both industrial and urban waste: paper, cardboard, cigarette packets and butts, cans and glass, plastic or metal bottles, dog feces, dead leaves, waste trapped in tree grills, wood, steel and aluminum chips etc. Street vacuum cleaners are not very common in China, but in developed countries, it can be seen everywhere, such as airports, parks, warehouses, scenic spots, alleys, etc.   

Street vacuum cleaners are fully enclosed, centralized collection, avoiding secondary dust pollution, significantly reducing the concentration of TSP and PM2.5, and effectively improving the level of refinement operations. In addition, the vehicle also uses wireless mobile communication technology to transmit job data and images in real time to realize the “Internet of Things & Smart Sanitation” management mode.

Similar to the working principle of the traditional vacuum cleaner, the street vacuum cleaner uses the motor to drive the fan impeller to rotate at a high speed, so that the air in the impeller is discharged at a very high speed, and a transient vacuum is formed in the machine to form a certain negative pressure difference with the outside. Under the action, garbage is sucked into the machine to achieve the purpose of cleaning and vacuuming.

The street vacuum cleaner is mainly composed of a vacuum system, water cleaning system, air filtration system, garbage collection system, energy system, and follow-up motion system. The various sections are as follows:

1. Vacuum system: It consists of a fan and a series of pipes to provide enough vacuum for the vacuum cleaner to absorb the garbage on the road.

2. Water cleaning system: It consists of a water tank, booster pump, high-pressure water gun and nozzle. The main function is to use high-pressure water to clean road surface stains and settle dust.

3. Energy system: It consists of a battery and related control components to provide power for the vacuum cleaner.

4. Follow the movement system: It consists of the drive wheel, the steering wheel and the following motion control system. When the operator holds the follow-up signal transmitter, the vacuum cleaner will recognize the operator and follow his movements even in a crowded city context.

5. Garbage collection system: It consists of garbage bins and related sensors. The sensors can identify the height of the garbage in the bin and promptly remind the operator to handle the garbage.

6. Air filtration system: Filter the air sucked into the vacuum cleaner to prevent dust from entering the fan and discharging it into the air again.

Street Vacuum Cleaner – Give Warmth to Street Cleaners

In China, if you get up early, you will see a group of people in the streets of the city. They wear vests, struggled to move the tricycles with rubbish, and walk around in every corner of the city. They are the city's street cleaners. Whenever evening falls, there are a lot of dead leaves or rubbish left in the streets. But when we wake up the next day, we will find the streets are still neat and clean. This is the result of the hard work of the street cleaners early in the morning.

There is now a smart urban street vacuum cleaner on the market that can help reduce the workload of street cleaners. The waste vacuum cleaner is similar in function to a home vacuum cleaner, except that the model size is much larger. The street vacuum cleaner looks like a small car from the outside, but the difference is that there is a pipe on the machine to collect garbage.

The most special thing is that the vacuum cleaner does not require the driver to control the direction inside. The machine is designed with an automatic following system, which can intelligently identify and follow the movement of the sanitation workers.

With the urban vacuum cleaner, the sanitation workers just need to take it around the city streets. Just press a button, the vacuum cleaner will suck all kinds of garbage into the pipeline, and collect it in the back dustbin for centralized processing. In this way, the work of sanitation workers becomes very relaxed, and it is like walking on the streets.

The after use operation of G70 autonomous floor scrubber

All Types of Vacuum Cleaners You Need to Know About

A vacuum cleaner is a device that causes suction in order to suck up dirt/particles and dust from floors, upholstery, draperies and other surfaces. It is generally electrically driven. There are basically 5 types of vacuum cleaners as mentioned below:
1. Handheld Vacuum Cleaners
These vacuum cleaners are held by hand and used to suck up dirt from tight spaces and places that are difficult to reach. They are mostly used in rooms with very limited spaces and in cleaning cars and engine parts.

2. Canister Vacuum Cleaners
This is another type of vacuum cleaner used in large and business properties. They come in different sizes and are used in cleaning carpets and bare floor surfaces. Canister vacuum cleaners are technologically enhanced and have multi-functionality with a separate Canister which is connected to a wand.

3. Upright Vacuum Cleaners
The upright cleaner is the most popular and widely used device particularly suited for private households. It is a powerful device standing in an upright position and used for general house clean-ups for both carpets and bare floor surfaces.

4. Stick Vacuum Cleaners
Used for cleaning narrow and tight places, it comes with a stick-like handle and is easy to manipulate and operate. It is effective in cleaning bare and hard floors, rugs and slim carpets.

5. Robot Vacuum Cleaners
These are automated devices which require minimal hands-on control by the user. When switched on and placed on the intended area, it roams freely on its own covering every surface area of the house. Its sensors track and suck up every dirt and debris even in tight crevices.

Changing G70 autonomous floor scrubber's brushes

China's Sanitation Equipment

With the rapid development of the economy, more and more people flock to the cities. At the same time, the amount of garbage is increasing sharply. This is a real challenge to urban sanitation machinery and sanitation workers. In 2019, some cities in China began to implement the garbage classification system, which also posted a new demand for sanitation equipment. China’s sanitation equipment are summarized as follows:
Garbage Truck

Garbage truck or dustcart refers to a truck specially designed to collect municipal solid waste and haul the collected waste to a solid waste treatment facility such as a landfill.

Sweeper Truck

The sweeper truck is an efficient sweeping equipment that combines road sweeping, garbage collection and transportation. It can be widely used in urban streets, municipal squares, airport roads, urban residential areas, parks, etc. It can not only clean the garbage but also purify the air, thus ensuring that the road is clean and tidy, preventing dust from flying and maintaining the good working condition of the road.

Street Sprinkler

Street sprinklers, also known as multi-functional green sprinklers, are used to clean roads, prevent dust, spray water, and spray pesticides, etc.

Anti-Smog Mist Cannon

Anti-smog mist cannons, a large machine mounted on a truck that sprays nebulized water droplets, are a new weapon to combat air pollution. They are aimed at trapping and sinking dust particles in the air of Beijing and other worst-affected cities.

Snow Blower

A snow blower or snow thrower is a machine for removing snow from an area where it is not wanted, such as a driveway, sidewalk, roadway, railroad track, ice rink, or runway. It can use either electric power (line power or battery), or a gasoline or diesel engine to throw snow to another location or into a truck to be hauled away.

Fecal Suction Truck

Fecal suction truck (also called Septic tank truck) is used to collect, transport and discharge dirty water, sludge, septic. It is suitable for cleaning the septic tank, cesspit, cesspool, gully, etc.

How to operate the control panel of G70 autonomous floor scrubber?

DDROBO G70 floor scrubber manual cleaning

How to Clean a Workshop?

Since a large variety of manufacturing operations are carried out in the workshop, many oils such as mechanical oils, cutting fluid, fatty oils and vegetable oils are left on the floor. If they are not cleaned for a long time, it is easy to form a heavy coat of grease on the ground. For proper cleaning, please refer to the following methods:

1.       If there is less oil on the floor of the workshop, you can use mop and bucket to scrub directly. Dip the mop into a bucket containing the ground oil cleaning agent and water and then scrub.

2.        If the oil on the floor is not treated in time, a strong degreaser should be used, because the oil may have penetrated into the ground. When the oil is heavy, it can be cleaned with the stock solution.

3.        If the workshop area is too large, you can use automatic cleaning equipment such as floor scrubber. There are currently three types of floor scrubbers: walk-behind floor scrubbers, ride-on floor scrubbers and autonomous floor scrubbers. The cleaning principle of the three floor scrubbers is the same. In the first step, scrub the floor with a brush or pad. In the second step, rinse the ground with fresh water. In the third step, pump the waste water back to the floor scrubber recovery tank. Finally dry the ground with a squeegee.

You can choose different types and brands of floor scrubbers according to your own use environment and budget.

Changing squeegee blade on G70 floor scrubber

Parking and Storage of DDROBO G70 Autonomous Floor Scrubber

1. Unplug the waste pipe, open the waste pipe cover, and drain the wastewater;

2. Open the recovery tank cover and check if the filter needs cleaning;

3. Clean the recovery tank with a water gun or water pipe to avoid breeding bacteria;

4. Turn off the machine and make sure the machine is completely powered off before plugging in the charger.

5. Open the machine's charging port cover, plug in the charger, and insert the plug completely into the socket. The charger has two charging methods to choose from: fast charge and slow charge.

Changing Squeegee Blade on G70 Intelligent Floor Scrubber

1. Stop machine on a level surface. Turn off the machine.
2. Disconnect the vacuum hose from the squeegee assembly. Then loosen both squeegee assembly mounting knobs.
   

3. Pull the squeegee assembly from the machine.
4. Unscrew the wing nuts.

5. Remove the retaining band.

6. Remove the front squeegee blade and the rear squeegee blade.
 

7. Install the new squeegee blades or rotate the existing blades to the new edge. Be sure the holes in the squeegee blades are hooked onto the tabs on the blade clamp.
   

8. Reinstall the retaining band onto the squeegee assembly.

9. Tighten the wing nuts.

10. Reinstall the squeegee under the squeegee mount bracket and tighten two knobs. Then reinstall the vacuum hose to the squeegee assembly.
   

Floor Scrubber Squeegee Blade

There are 3 types of squeegees blade commonly used for automatic floor scrubbers: gum, linatex and urethane.

Gum

Gum rubber squeegee blades for the best floor conformance. Primarily used in shopping malls and other public spaces, gum rubber squeegees ensure maximum water collection on smooth and tiled floors, leaving them dry and safe for pedestrians. Not recommended for oily environments. Gum rubber absorbs oil and the material will begin to lose its structural integrity, becoming very wavy, and the cleaning ability will be lowered.

Linatex

All-around best-performing and longest-lasting squeegee blades are made from Linatex® premium natural rubber in a signature red color. Linatex works well with chemicals and won’t swell like gum rubber. These squeegees have excellent flexibility for more consistent seals and water pickup, as well as rip-resistant durability for long-term wear. These blades would be the best choice in applications where the floor is not smooth or even and there is an oily environment.

Urethane

Chemical-resistant urethane squeegees work especially well in industrial environments with oily or rough surfaces such as old or uneven floors, grates or environments with sharp debris.

How to choose squeegee blade

First of all, the material of the squeegee blade is divided into two types: oil resistant and ordinary oil resistant. We need to choose oil resistant or ordinary oil-resistant depending on the environment. Oil-resistant squeegee blade is suitable for the oily floor, but its wear resistance is poor;

Secondly, the thickness of the squeegee blade used by the different brand is different. Generally, the thicker the squeegee blade, the more durable it is;

Thirdly, in view of the fact that the average customer has less awareness of the squeegee blade, it is recommended to use the original squeegee blade as much as possible. Do not blindly choose cheap squeegee blade, which will reduce the cleaning effect of the scrubber.

Floor Scrubber Maintenance

With the advance of science and technology, autonomous floor scrubber has gradually replaced traditional mops in the field of commercial cleaning. It can clean the floor quickly and efficiently, dramatically reducing floor care costs. However, although the automatic floor scrubber has obvious advantages, its sales and rental prices are relatively high. In order to protect this fixed asset investment, we need to maintain it regularly to maximize the life of the equipment.

1.     Daily maintenance

a)     Empty and clean the solution tank and the recovery tank after each use;

b)     If it is used in winter, be sure to use warm water to prevent the tanks from freezing and cracking;

c)     When charging, be sure to charge according to the manufacturer's standard to avoid overloading;

d)     If you encounter minor problems such as equipment anomalies, contact the manufacturer immediately or repair them yourself to prevent them from becoming costly failures, resulting in prolonged downtime;

e)     Ensure that the metal parts are dry to avoid corrosion of the metal parts;

f)     The machine should be placed in a dry and ventilated place to prevent the wet environment from affecting the equipment;

g)     Smooth all shafts with specific lubricating oil.

2.     Monthly maintenance

a)     Clean the machine casing to minimize the long-term stain residue;

b)     If the squeegee leaves narrow streaks or water, the blades may be dirty or damaged. Remove the squeegee, rinse it under warm water and inspect the blades. Reverse or replace the blades if they are cut, torn wavy or worn;

c)     If the brush/pad exceeds the wear limit, it needs to be replaced in time;

d)     Check the battery connection cable and tighten any loose fasteners.

The above are the precautions for floor scrubber maintenance, which are essential for the normal use of it. DDROBO Robotics has been committed to the field of intelligent unmanned cleaning and provides one-stop cleaning solutions for cleaning service companies and customers by continuously updating and optimizing products.

 

DDROBO G70 Industrial Floor Scrubber Battery Introduction

G70 autonomous floor scrubber is powered by lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) battery which using LiFePO4 as the cathode material, and a graphitic carbon electrode with a metallic backing as the anode. It is the safest of the mainstream li-ion battery types and offers significant advantages as follows:

1.        LiFePO4 batteries have a life span 10 times longer than that of traditional lead-acid batteries. This dramatically reduces the need for battery changes.

2.        Lithium iron phosphate batteries operate with much lower resistance and consequently recharge at a faster rate.

3.        LiFePO4 lightweight batteries are lighter than lead-acid batteries, usually weighing about 1/4 less.

4.        LiFePO4 provides twice the battery capacity in the same amount of space. With operating ranges from -40 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, LiFePO4 batteries handle far wider variations in temperature.

5.        Lithium iron phosphate batteries are also environmentally friendly and safe for use in any system. Other advantages of LiFePO4 technology include upper and lower voltage protection, dead short and reverse polarity protection, and flame-retardant chemistry.

G70 autonomous floor scrubber

DDROBO G70 autonomous floor scrubber

Garbage Sorting in Japan and China

Garbage sorting is the process by which garbage is separated into different elements.

In Japan, garbage is not just something you can throw away easily. It is basically categorized into four different types: combustible, incombustible, oversized garbage, bottles and cans. Designated garbage bags are classified into colors (each city has different colors). Garbage collection dates, collection area, and collection rules differ depending on the area. There is a specific fee (about ¥1,600.00 – ¥5,000.00) to throw television, air conditioning, washing machine and refrigerator. 

In China, garbage can be divided into two categories: recyclable and non-recyclable. The importance of garbage classification has not drawn enough attention from the public in China. Many people are not well aware of whether a certain kind of garbage is recyclable. Therefore, China’s garbage sorting still has a long way to go.

                                 ——From DDROBO Robotics Smart Cleaning Team