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Page history last edited by PBworks 18 years ago

The new iRobot Roomba Vacuuming Robots are hackable! This wiki has the resources, links and companies for your Roomba hacking needs.

Roomba's Hacker site - Roomba

iRobot Roomba manufactured after October 2005 contain an electronic and software interface that allows you to control or modify Roomba's behavior and remotely monitor its sensors. This interface is called the Roomba Serial Control Interface or Roomba SCI. If you are a Roomba owner, your Roomba can be upgraded by following the instructions here. This update is not a necessary enhancement for Roomba owners, rather it is intended for software programmers and roboticists to create their own enhancements to Roomba. The SCI is compatible with all 41xx and 42xx series Roomba models, but is not compatible with the original Roomba.


Roomba SCI Specification guide (pdf)


OSMO Hacker Accessories - Roomba

Upgrades your iRobot Roomba with the Serial Command Interface for software programmers and roboticists to modify Roomba's behavior.


Element Direct - Roomba Mind Control

The new Mind Control lets you take command of your Roomba. It is a small and powerful device, letting you write custom programs for your Roomba in the C and C++ languages while fitting in the space of the Roomba's expansion connector. It turns your Roomba into a powerful robotics development platform. The Mind Control uses the newly released Roomba serial interface, enabling it to monitor all of the Roomba's sensors, control its motors, and even play songs and flash its LEDs in real time. You write your own Roomba control programs on your computer and download them to the Mind Control's Atmel AVR microcontroller through a USB port. The Mind Control has no connection to your computer while it is running. The Mind Control comes with example programs and is supported by a documentation Wiki and support forum.


Roomba Serial Interface cable - TodBot

Flickr photo set of the custom serial cable needed to connect a computer to a Roomba SCI using a 805 +5V voltage regulator and MAX232 RS-232 transceiver.

Diagram.

Cable in use.


Roomba Serial Interface cable - Phillip Torrrone

Circuit diagram / Roomba - http://roomba.pbwiki.com/f/serial-converter-rs232-sch.GIF

Pictures and text coming shortly (sorry for the delay folks, unexpectedly needed to move residences).


RoombaNet - Bryan Adams

The newly-released Roomba Serial Command Interface (SCI) allows the user to drive a Roomba around and read out sensor data. But communicating with the robot via a tethered cable would interfere with the robot's autonomy, and setting your laptop on the Roomba isn't practical or smart (it also wouldn't work: the SCI expects TTL, not RS232). One logical solution is to build a (small) subsystem that can ride around with the Roomba, perform some low-level control, and communicate wirelessly with the world. The following page describes just such a system. So far, I've programmed it to control the Roomba using a neural network, but it's highly generalizable. You could use it for anything from a virtual serial port to any application that will fit into 4MB of flash.


iPaq Roomba 1 - Michael Menefee

Add an iPaq to your Roomba, take over the world! (or, well, maybe just your house)

Part I in a series documenting my Roomba platform/swarm project.


Other resources

Roomba review (online forums) with hacking section.

Roomba on Hack a day.

Roomba on MAKE Magazine.

Roomba on Popular Science.

Roomba on Wikipedia.

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