MoDriBot

A robotics research Project

Presented to
The Basic Education Department High School
Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba

In Partial Fulfilment
Of the Requirement for
Elective Science G10: Robotics G10

by:
Gregana, Carlo
Morales, Braulio Jose
Oliva, John Lester
Sanque, Aedan Louis
Alonzo, Kaye
Esarza, Alexa
Garcia, Gaile Camille
Majesterio, Johanna Marie
Reyes, Hannah Isabel
Tamayo, Patricia Carlisle
G10 – MARCONI
A.Y. 2019 – 2020

CHAPTER I

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 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

From the very beginning of the human era, cleaning was one of the laborious and time-
consuming tasks. Cleaning requires a great deal of time and effort. As the technology has
advanced, households of today are becoming smarter and more automated. Home automation
delivers convenience and efficiency to people by making tasks easier. The autonomous cleaning
robot has entered the practical stage and is getting more and more popular. Currently most
researches of the cleaning robot focus on sensor technology, location and environment modeling
theory.
This paper presents about how the burden of cleaning can drastically be reduced by
means of using an automated floor cleaning robot. People who undergo mobility problems are
most beneficial as it cut downs cleaning time and effort. Automated floor cleaning robot also
makes cleaning easier on workers and employees. It allows workers to complete other tasks left
undone because of too much time and effort consumed by cleaning. and help them maintain
their space clean without exerting too much effort.
The purpose of this research is to design and implement an automated floor cleaning
robot. MoDriBot is designed to make cleaning process become easier rather than by using
manual mop, scrubber and dryer. The flexibility, time saving and efficiency make the robot a
clean choice for cleaning the floor. Also, in industries, investing on automated robot is indeed
cost efficient rather than manual labor involved.
The robot is designed to clean the floors and at the exact duration, it can also dry the
surface. The robot is designed in a way that it travels on the path specified in the programs when
it is started by the owner. When the robot encounters a hurdle, he will be able to prevent it.
The main objective of this project is to design and implement an automated floor cleaning
robot prototype by using Arduino, Arduino Shield, Ultrasonic Sensor, and IR Sensor and to
achieve the goal of this project. MoDriBot will have several criteria that are user-friendly. They’re
quite enough to allow for daily cleaning and allow you to avoid disruptions and hazardous wet
floors.

Statement of the Problem

This study attempts to answer the question: Does Modribot helps people in terms of efficiently
cleaning the floor and to lessen their task by leaving Modribot to clean the floor by itself
Specifically, this study answers the following questions:

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 1. Will it be viable in all kinds or types of floor and can make the floor look their best?
2. Does it really reduce worker’s injuries, time and compensation claims?
3. Are there significant differences between using regular microfiber mop and automated
microfiber mop (Modribot)?

Hypotheses
The researchers were able to convey the following hypothesis:
Null Hypothesis

 The prototype is not able to leave the floor well cleansed and dry.
 The prototype is not time efficient.
 The prototype is not capable to be used for a long period of time without the need
for replacement.
Alternative Hypothesis

The prototype is able to leave the floor well cleansed and dry.
The prototype is time efficient.
The prototype is capable to be used for a long period of time without the need for
replacement.
Research Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

The material needed to build
the robots are:
 Infrared Sensors
 DC motor
 Buzzer
 Motor shield
 Acrylic sheets
 Switch
 Plastic bottle
 Microfiber scrubber
 Stopper
 Sponge
 Battery holder
 Battery
 Gathering all the required  Reduced time consumed
materials together in cleaning the hallway
 Building the robot
 Calibrating the sensors
 Encoding the program
 Uploading the program
into the robot
 Testing the efficiency of
the robot
Figure 1.0 Research Variables

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Scope and Limitation

This study assess the possibility of lessening worker’s injuries and improve their time.
Aside from it helps the workers, it additionally helps the floor look their best and to prevent from
scratches as it is made from microfiber. Modribot is made with microfiber to completely clean
and sanitize the floor without scratching it, plus microfiber retains the cleaning liquid without
leaking, leaving only a thin layer of water on the floor that dries easily, leading to fewer chances
of slipping and falling on a slippery floor. Aside from the microfiber, it is also made with
ultransonic that can detect the distance from the object to prevent it from bumping. Lastly,
Modribot is also made with buzzer which helps the owner get notified if it is done cleaning the
floor. It seeks to know the effectiveness of Modribot in terms of lessening the worker’s injuries
and improve their time by lessening their task. The researchers centered on the people, living in
the society, as the subject of the study.

Significance of the Study

This study assesses the possibility of lessening the task of workers and sanitize the floor
efficiently. Thus, if this study will be found positive, then it would be significant to the following:
Entrepreneurs
They can benefit from this study because they can use the study and produce Modribot
and sell it to the community.
Workers (Cleaners)
They can benefit from this study because they can do some other task while leaving the
Modribot clean the floor by itself and they can also reduce their injury from cleaning the floor
with regular microfiber mops.

Definition of Terms

Autonomous – having the power or right to govern itself

Microfiber - is a synthetic fiber, usually produced using polyester, polyamide, or a combination

of the two. Fibers are measured in denier, which is a reference to their linear mass.

Polymers – a substance that has a molecular structure consisting chiefly or entirely of a large
number of similar units bonded together.

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Reservoirs – a place where something is kept in store.

Sensors – a device which detects or measures a physical property and records, indicates, or
otherwise responds to it.

Viable – it has the ability to grow or function properly.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERARURE AND STUDIES

5
Related Literature

A cleaning robot typically includes reservoirs that are filled with water or cleaning solution
and a microfiber cloth that serves as a mop head to clean the surface. These kinds of robots are
usually used in high retail stores, healthcare facilities and airports as these kinds of environments
requires extra cleaning efforts. Cleaning robots are most beneficial to elders and people who
undergo mobility problems as it cuts down the cleaning time and helps them maintain their space
clean without exerting too much effort. Gibbs (2019) posited that floors should be mopped once
it looks dirty. The suggested time frame for mopping the floor for small households with kids and
pets are every other week or once a week.

One of the most common material used in making mop heads is cotton. Hodakel (2019)
states that one of the most common used fabric in the world is cotton. Its fibers are helpful for
mopping up large amounts of liquid because it is longer which makes it to be able to hold more
liquid. Another popular material for cleaning floors and other surfaces is microfiber. According
to Luca (2017), microfiber is a synthetic fiber that is extremely thin, even slimmer than a strand
of silk. The most common type of material it is made from is polyester and other types of
polymides. It is also stated that production of polyester microfibers doesn’t require water in the
dyeing process unlike cotton that uses a huge amount of water which results in more wastage.

Woodford (2019) stated that microfibers clean better because of their tendency to attach
themselves to even the smallest, most microscopic particles due to the powerful forces applied
on the fibers. According to the researchers of University of North Carolina Health Care System
and University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC (n.d.), microfiber mops
performed better in removing germs than cotton string mops. In a study published in the
American Journal of Infection Control (n.d.), microfiber mops inactivated 95% of the microbes
versus cotton string mops that had removed 68% of it when used with a standard detergent. The
mops were also tested using a disinfectant and it significantly improved the results with the
cotton strings mop having inactivated 95% of the microbes same with the microfiber.

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 One of the best ways to sense proximity is by using an ultrasonic sensor. It is an instrument
that measures the distance of an object using ultrasonic sonic sound waves. The sensor works
well with lighting environment and can be used indoor or outdoor as it is commonly used to
detect collision. It is also being used for water level sensing, drone applications and sensing cars
at a local drive-thru restaurant. The transducer of the sensor sends a sound wave at a
frequency above the range of human hearing and receives the echo. The sensor sends out
an ultrasonic pulse at 40kHz and once an object is detected, it bounces back to the sensor
(Burnett, 2019). In this prototype, the ultrasonic sensor will be used to prevent the robot
from hitting a wall and to avoid stairs.

Related Studies

Several of us developed seeing the caretakers at our schools mopping the hallways
by using a mop and bucket. But just like out of the technology, our world is constantly changing
with new and improved ways to sanitize and clean floors. This study presents a prototype that
can automatically clean the hallways with the used of microfibers. The robot is designed to clean
the floors and at the exact duration, it can also dry the surface. The robot is designed in a way
that it travels on the path specified in the programs when it is started by the owner. When the
robot encounters a hurdle, he will be able to prevent it.

The autonomous cleaning robot has entered the practical stage and is getting more and
more popular. Currently most researches of the cleaning robot focus on sensor technology,
location and environment modeling theory. (“Mopping module design and experiments of a
multifunction floor cleaning robot”, 2015) Automation is now being applied to each and every
sector. Among this, home automation is a field focusing on making everyday household works
simpler and automatic.

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 When cleaning with a mop and bucket, the more you clean, the dirtier the water gets.
Commercial floor cleaning equipment leaves your floors cleaner and more hygienic. Auto
sweepers and scrubbers are also fast and quiet. They leave behind clean floors, not a slippery,
wet path. They’re quite enough to allow for daily cleaning and allow you to avoid disruptions
and hazardous wet floors. ( Magaña, 2019).

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

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 In This part of the research paper the researchers will discuss the materials and
procedure in making and testing the prototype.

Materials:

Infrared sensor DC Motor

Buzzer Motor Shield

acrylic sheets Push button

Plastic bottle Microfiber scrubber

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 stopper Sponge

Battery holder

battery

Procedures in Product Making

To properly assemble the prototype, the researchers will follow the following steps:

1. Gather all the materials needed for the prototype.

2. The researchers will start by creating the body of the prototype using the acrylic sheets.
3. Attach the 2 wheel and caster wheel into the body of the prototype.
4. Next attach the microfiber scrubber at the bottom portion of the frame.
5. Place the plastic bottle at the top of the frame and make a hole at its lid.

10
 6. Join the stopper and the plastic bottle.
7. Connect the push button, buzzer and ultrasonic sensor through the Arduino board.
8. At the back of the prototype, attach the saugwunder sponge.

Procedures in Product Testing

1. On a dry floor, turn on the prototype and let it clean the floor by itself, make sure that
there are no trashes or obstacles that can trap the prototype.
2. Check if the soap water coming from the bottle is enough for the microfiber scrubber to
clean the floor, if not adjust the water through stopper.
3. Once you adjust the soap water through stopper, make sure that the saugwunder
sponge dries the floor while it’s moving and cleaning the floor.
4. Let the prototype clean the floor, wait until the buzzer rings – which means it’s done
cleaning.
5. If you’re not satisfied, let it clean again for the second time.

Illustration

Figure 2.0 Front view of the MoDribot

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Figure 3.0 Top view of the MoDriBot

Figure 4.0 Side view of the MoDriBot

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