This robot is called "WinBoni" and like its namesake, actually cleans your windows the way a Zamboni would clean your favorite ice rink. The project won first prize in the International Student Design Competition held by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers so it wins for a feat of anti-gravitational genius. Watch the video to see it in action.
via DVice
Posted by Jonah Brucker-Cohen |
Dec 5, 2008 06:00 AM
Robotics |
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i always thought a zamboni "cleans" the rink by heating up and the refreezing the ice over the dirt, so i was pretty fascinated about how this thing could melt and cool the windows in a way that would not distort it too much.
turns out i misread.... Felt pads plus suction are much less interesting than a magic glassmelter/polisher :P
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The Zamboni reconditions the ice by shaving off some of the surface ice and collecting it in a hopper that it has to dump after leaving the rink. Then it lays down some water to fill in the deeper divots that weren't removed by the shaving process.
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Very cool. I saw the requirements from ASME for this challenge last year... I must say that they were some of the toughest I've seen in a few years. Alas, "cleaning" for the competition involved removing dry erase dots from the glass - hence the felt pads.
Clever using vacuum to stick to the window :)
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