Achi news desk-
Most Roombas are known for their leisurely pace and bumping into walls from time to time – but the Vroomba, the newly declared “world’s fastest robotic vacuum”, can do so much more.
Guinness World Records announced the new achievement on Tuesday in a congratulatory press release for the aptly named Vroomba and its creator, YouTuber Alister Laidlaw.
Australian Laidlaw built the Vroomba by modifying an existing iRobot Roomba vacuum with high performance electronics, 3D printed material and remote control (RC) gear. During one of its test drives, the tricked-out vacuum reached a top speed of 57 km/h, easily obliterating any potential competition.
The process to build the Vroomba, and its many variations, was documented on Laidlaw’s YouTube channel, Electrosync.
To win the Guinness honour, Laidlaw set himself four criteria: the vacuum had to look like a Roomba, it had to use two drive wheels, have one motor per wheel, and, of course, it had to have functional suction power.
Right off the bat, Laidlaw was faced with the challenge of fitting all the necessary components into the Roomba’s body, while also keeping the machine aerodynamic.
He stripped the Roomba down to its bare parts and started from scratch. Many of the new Vroomba pieces were 3D printed for a custom fit. Laidlaw had to solve problems related to balance, control and, quite simply, creatively keeping the Vroomba in one piece.
In the end, the Vroomba functioned as an RC car. During Laidlaw’s first test run the Vroomba reached a top speed of 36 km/h.
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As he increased the Vroomba’s power, Laidlaw said it became harder to control.
But then, after more adjustments and a few more runs, Laidlaw saw his Vroomba fly by at an impressive 57 km/h – the same speed as a running grizzly bear.
In a second video, Laidlaw took feedback from his followers and tried to improve the design of the Vroomba. He changed the composition of the wheel, the RC steering mechanism and even added a spoiler to the rear, like a sports car.
He took the revamped Vroomba to an RC track. Although it didn’t set a new speed record, the Vroomba whipped around the track with impressive speed and agility – that is, until a later test run saw the Vroomba crash and split into four. One section disappeared down a storm drain.
The Vroomba was dead, but at least it wouldn’t be sitting around gathering dust.
In his second video, Laidlaw said he presented his record attempt to Guinness, who told Laidlaw that his design was a “product or company record” because it specifically drew attention to the Roomba brand. His application was initially refused, although it is not clear what has changed since then.
Laidlaw said he was inspired to create the fastest Roomba after seeing several other videos online falsely claiming the title. He has over 50,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he regularly posts videos about RC technology and 3D printing.
He said he also plans to continue working on the Vroomba and will make more improvements to its speed and handling in the future.
For anyone looking to race vacuum or possibly speed-clean their home, the Vroomba is not commercially available.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
