Robot Window Cleaner

Overview

The robot window cleaner is an autonomous machine that climbs and cleans vertical glass. It clings to the window by pulling a partial vacuum between its body and the surface, crawls on rubber tracks, and wipes the glass with microfiber pads as it goes. Onboard sensors keep it square to the pane, detect the frame, and stop it from driving off an open edge, while a safety tether catches it if suction is ever lost.

Two compute layers run the machine: a navigation SoC plans coverage paths, and a real-time MCU handles motion and keeps the vacuum blower at the right speed. Power normally comes from a mains cord, with a battery sized to hold grip if that power drops.

How it works

Adhesion comes from the Suction Unit. A vacuum blower evacuates the chamber under the robot, and a compliant sealing skirt holds that vacuum against the glass; a pressure sensor watches the seal and warns the controller if grip weakens. This is what lets the robot defy gravity on a vertical pane.

Motion comes from the Drive System, two geared track motors with encoders. Driving the tracks at different speeds steers the robot, letting it run efficient back-and-forth passes across the window.

Cleaning happens at the Cleaning Pad Assembly. A small reservoir and a spray valve mist fluid onto the glass, and two microfiber pads on the underside scrub and wipe it as the robot crawls. The Sensor Suite guides the run: an IMU tracks tilt and heading, edge sensors find the frame or an open edge, and bump switches register contact, all fused by the Control Board into a coverage plan and motion commands.

Energy comes from the Battery Pack, a LiPo pack with a protective BMS that keeps the blower running long enough to finish or to safely park if mains power fails. Against the worst case, the Safety Tether anchors the robot to a fixed point with a high-strength cord rated to arrest a fall.