The Roomba cleaning robot has been the reference point for home-centered robots for years. but its creator, iRobot, wants to expand its technology outside of the home.
A recent FCC filing revealed that the company was exploring the potential of a lawnmower robot. This machine would use anywhere between four and nine wireless beacons to establish where it would be allowed to cut. However, there's a catch; the beacons would use a signal in the 6240-6740 MHz range, a signal range that the FCC normally doesn't allow "fixed outdoor infrastructure" to access.
"iRobot wants the FCC to agree that the beacons aren't fixed, and besides, they're very low power, not running most of the time, close to the ground, and this particular frequency range is being used by almost nobody. Almost," IEEE Spectrum reported.
Apparently, this particular wavelength is used by "the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) to spot the spectral signature of methanol out in space, or, as the NRAO somewhat bizarrely calls it, 'interstellar wood alcohol,'" according to IEEE. When the NRAO discovered that iRobot wanted access to its set of signals, it filed a comment arguing that the presence of Roomba lawnmowers on that particular frequency could affect its "instellar wood alcohol" recordings. iRobot responded by arguing that the signals would not have enough of an effect to require a ban. The dialogue between the two is recorded over at IEEE's robotics blog.
While its unlikely that iRobot's signal system would have a significant effect on the NRAO's results, IEEE wonders "if it really would be that big of a deal for iRobot to adjust its beacons to keep out of restricted frequency ranges."
The final results of iRobot's filing will be determined by the FCC in the near future.
