Cye

Want to Buy a Robot?

Cye ($695.00) is the first
practical home robot. It can find and dock with a charger, and with optional accessories can haul things from room to room or vacuum the house!

The RB5X ($3495.00) hasn't changed much since the mid 80's, and the price tag puts this robot out of reach for most enthusiasts.

The Talrik series of
programmable robot kits
can also be purchased as
fully assembled robots.
($200.00 to $800.00)

The Trilobot ($1900.00)
includes dozens of
sensors, making it
perfect for hobbyists.

The Peoplebot ($5995.00) has two rings of sonar sensors to avoid most obstacles.

The iRobot ($5995.00) can be controlled over the Internet, and it can climb stairs!

The AmigoBot has a sonar ring to avoid most obstacles.
($1495.00 to $3195.00)

Profile: Cye
An Affordable Home Robot

Learn more about Cye
Visit the manufacturer

CYE is a semi-autonomous robot from Probotics, Inc., and it is undoubtedly the most useful home robot created to date. At $695.00 it is also quite a bargain when compared to some of the other, less capable, robots that cost over a thousand dollars more.

Using a radio modem connected to a home PC, Cye can navigate to almost any room in the house, hauling dishes and other items, or beeping reminders. When he has finished his tasks Cye will find his charger and dock with it automatically. This robot could, theoretically, run around a home or office for years without human intervention!

The robot has no visual or range finding sensors, but can learn about the environment by detecting resistance in its wheels when it bumps up against an obstacle. It keeps track of where it is by monitoring the exact movement of each wheel 500 times per second, and sending this information to a home PC over a radio modem. The wheel’s polyurethane-coated tips grab the carpet to minimize slippage.

The included software supports mapping CYE's environment, naming rooms, establishing navigation checkpoints and setting up his feeding spot. The software is well designed and easy enough for a child to use.

Probotics has just released Cye-sr, which allows owners to talk to the robot via handclaps. Clap once to send Cye off to the living room with a wagon load of snacks and drinks for the kids,

or load him up with dirty clothes and clap twice to send him to the laundry room. Cye also comes with a Hoover cordless vacuum cleaner, so he can be programmed to clean any room.

Best of all, Cye is expandable. I’m planning to add a couple of light sensors, some IR range finding sensors (so he can avoid unmapped obstacles), and a radio to receive voice from my PC. One of these days I'm going to program Cye to come into my bedroom every morning and wake me up. As I’m getting ready for work he’ll follow me around and provide up-to-the-minute news, weather, and stock market information (downloaded from my PC and converted to voice files). Then he’ll dock with his charger until it is time to vacuum the living room or perform some other task.

NOTE: See Cybert for more details about my plans.

Cye with Hoover Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
(photo courtesy Neoforma Design)