Abstract
The challenges in bringing a consumer grade robot to market are many. To be ready, it has to satisfy a function first (in this case, it has to be a great vacuum cleaner); from the average user’s point of view, the robotics aspect of it is secondary. To be compelling, it has to do the job better than a human would. It must be affordable, easy to manufacture, and robust to daily use.
The Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum cleaner has been in the making for 10 years, and has taken leading-edge academic research to a robust, reliable and manufacturable solution by Mike Aldred and his team at Dyson.
Mike’s talk charts some of the high and lows of the project, the challenges of bridging academia and business, and how to use a diverse team to take an idea from the lab into real homes. Computer vision, the key enabling technology in the 360 Eye, has been a research priority for decades. However, the results are only now beginning to appear in consumer-grade products. It’s a long road from concept to finished machine and to succeed, apart from cutting-edge technical expertise, companies need clear objectives, a robust test plan, and the ability to adapt in the face of challenges and failures.
