Household Service Robot for Autonomous Meal Handling and Table Setting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic tidying solutions are limited in their capabilities and often require additional manual work to complete comprehensive cleaning operations, failing to autonomously manage complex housework tasks.
Innovation Solution
A general-purpose tidying robot equipped with a scoop and pusher pads made of insulated and heat-resistant materials, featuring grippers, a mop pad, and a vacuum system, along with a robotic control system that enables autonomous cleaning, cooking, and serving tasks, including setting tables and heating meals in the oven.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional robotic tidying solutions are used, then basic cleaning functions are provided, but comprehensive cleaning operations cannot be completed autonomously
Solution Approach 1:
The robot integrates multiple functions including cleaning, cooking, and serving capabilities into a single autonomous system. The cleaning module includes brushes and vacuum mechanisms, while the cooking module contains an oven and microwave, and the serving module provides table setting capabilities. This multi-functionality enables comprehensive housework operations without requiring separate devices or manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot performs cleaning operations autonomously by navigating through the environment, detecting obstacles, and executing cleaning tasks without human intervention. The control system coordinates the cleaning module, cooking module, and serving module to complete comprehensive cleaning operations independently, eliminating the need for manual work.
2Extent of automation
If the robot performs comprehensive cleaning operations autonomously, then manual intervention is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot is divided into distinct functional modules: a cleaning module with brushes and vacuum mechanisms, a cooking module with oven and microwave components, and a serving module for table setting. Each module operates independently but is coordinated by the control system, allowing complex operations to be managed through modular architecture rather than a monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs a nested configuration where the cleaning module, cooking module, and serving module are integrated within a single robotic body. The modules are arranged to allow compact integration while maintaining independent functionality, with the control system managing the complexity of coordinating multiple nested functional units.
3Reliability
If the robot uses insulated and heat-resistant materials for scoop and pusher pads, then it can handle hot objects safely, but material selection becomes more restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The robot uses materials with specific thermal properties (insulated and heat-resistant) for the scoop and pusher pads, allowing the robot to handle hot objects from the cooking module safely. This parameter-based material selection ensures safety while maintaining functional capability, though it does limit the range of available materials to those with appropriate thermal resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The robot can autonomously perform comprehensive cleaning, cooking, and serving tasks, reducing the need for manual intervention and enhancing safety and efficiency in household chores.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum system
Implementation Method 2
scoop and pusher pads made of insulated and heat-resistant materials
Data Source
AI summary
A method is described for a tidying robot to approach a storage device, such as a refrigerator or freezer, containing a food item, and perform a series of actions to remove the food item. The robot then transports the food item to either a cooking device or a serving location. The method may also adjust the operating conditions of the cooking device. The method may also include retrieving serving objects, such as plates and cutlery items from a storage location and transporting those serving objects to a serving location.