Improvements to Mobile Control App for Autonomous Service Robots

Tasks involving lifting, pushing, and carrying (e.g., lifting laundry, cleaning the floor) are often challenging, especially for seniors and people with limited mobility. On stairs, performing these tasks becomes dangerous, potentially leading to serious injury (falls, back strain, etc.).

Quantum Robotic Systems Inc. (QRS) addresses this problem by making unique mobile service robots. QRS has developed and patented a novel stair-climbing technology that the company has incorporated into its Robotic Stairclimbing Assistant (“ROSA”). ROSA’s sister product is “QBii”, a smaller non-stairclimbing robot.

QRS has developed a prototype version of a Control App, allowing a user to specify rudimentary paths for its robots. However, the existing App lacks the functionality to make it truly useful.

The primary goal for this innovation project is to improve upon the existing Control App to enhance its capabilities and its ease-of-use. The App will run on commonly used mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) to enhance convenience. The improved Control App will be intuitive enough to allow any user (e.g., older homeowners with no programming or robotics experience) to command a QRS robot to drive to a destination (e.g., “Kitchen”, “Bedroom”). The robot will then autonomously follow a path between its current location and the destination. Along the way, the robot can perform a useful task (e.g., carry a box, pull a cart, sweep the floor, etc.), freeing the user to do something else.

Achieving this goal will significantly increase market acceptance of QRS’s service robots.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ryan Billinger;Jigisha Patel;Arbab Khan

Student:

Partner:

Quantum Robotic Systems Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology