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I specifically bought a robot vacuum with less sensors (no camera) for this reason. Why does it need camera if bump sensors and Lidar already works, it's asking

I specifically bought a robot vacuum with less sensors (no camera) for this reason. Why does it need camera if bump sensors and Lidar already works, it's asking for trouble.

aaron695 2y ago
[dead]
dikkechill 2y ago
How did you do your research and which one did you eventually buy?
- iammiles 2y ago
  This sounds like the Roborock S series. I went with lidar over camera because it can run in any lighting condition and I don’t have a need for poop detection.
- Rebelgecko 2y ago
  Not OP, but I'm a big fan of the Vacuum Wars YouTube channel (they have text summaries on their website too)
MBCook 2y ago
Some manufacturers use cameras instead of LiDAR (iRobot, for example). Others use both. LiDAR for walls, cameras for object identification below the LiDAR plane, directly in front of the robot. That’s how the fancy ones avoid socks or cables or other small things.
- supportengineer 2y ago
  This might be OK for a vacuum cleaner, but nobody in their right mind would choose cameras over LiDAR for important applications.
  - NRv9tR 2y ago
    If I understand correctly Tesla is/has removed LIDAR and uses computer vision for most/all of their self driving. https://bdtechtalks.com/2021/06/28/tesla-computer-vision-autonomous-driving/ https://bdtechtalks.com/2021/06/28/tesla-computer-vision-aut...
    - Alupis 2y ago
      Yes, perhaps the single-most controversial decision Tesla has made regarding FSD. Everyone else uses LIDAR in some form. Tesla's cameras can and have been fooled on many occasions.
      - bmicraft 2y ago
        Yeah okay, but that doesn't mean _cameras_ are bad (which, to be fair, they are in Teslas case), it means the algorithms feeding on them are.
        Alupis 2y ago
        It means the cameras can be fooled by things LIDAR cannot be. Such as smoke, glare, reflections, optical illusions/mirage, etc. If the algorithms are fed with incorrect data, they will produce incorrect results - such as driving full-speed into a parked, white colored, semi-truck.
        bmicraft 2y ago
        And lidar can't tell the difference between a plastic bag and a rock, what's your point?
        Alupis 2y ago
        One can (and has been) fooled into thinking there is no object in the path - the other might be extra sensitive to any object in it's path. I'll let you stew on that one for a minute...
Rebelgecko 2y ago
Lidar doesn't work for some things- my Roborock S7 has trouble if there's a USB cable on the ground or a lamp's power cord isn't tucked all the way up against the wall. Supposedly the camera models are better at avoiding certain obstacles, which is good if you have a pet or housemate who sometimes poops inside and you don't want that getting mopped all over the floor. That's a compelling use case for me but considering how many of these vacuums have had privacy issues, I stuck with Lidar (people cast aspersions on the Chinese companies but US manufacturers have track records that don't inspire confidence either - just ask the Roomba employees who got their naked pics leaked online)
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Scoundreller 2y ago
  just wrap your cables in retroreflective tape?
  - techbrovanguard 2y ago
    this is a joke… right?
    - Scoundreller 2y ago
      It’d be ugly but should make them really pop on the lidar, no?
- s1mon 2y ago
  "good if you have a pet or housemate who sometimes poops inside" I have a pet (cat) that unfortunately poops just outside her box most of the time, despite a lot of different ideas and approaches with the help of our vet. She's old and has lower back pain issues. It ends up on a litter mat or the wooden floor, so it's not that hard to clean up. If I had a housemate that pooped inside not in the toilet, they would need to be even less able to manage their shit, so to speak, and more loved than our cat, or they would be out of here very fast.
tzs 2y ago
In addition to what others have said, I believe some use an upward facing camera to help with mapping. Ceilings tend to be less cluttered than floors so it is easier to figure out the shapes of rooms and their relationships by looking at the ceiling than by looking at the floor.

I specifically bought a robot vacuum with less sensors (no camera) for this reason. Why does it need camera if bump sensors and Lidar already works, it's asking for trouble.

aaron695 2y ago

[dead]

dikkechill 2y ago

How did you do your research and which one did you eventually buy?

iammiles 2y ago
This sounds like the Roborock S series. I went with lidar over camera because it can run in any lighting condition and I don’t have a need for poop detection.
Rebelgecko 2y ago
Not OP, but I'm a big fan of the Vacuum Wars YouTube channel (they have text summaries on their website too)

MBCook 2y ago

Some manufacturers use cameras instead of LiDAR (iRobot, for example). Others use both. LiDAR for walls, cameras for object identification below the LiDAR plane, directly in front of the robot. That’s how the fancy ones avoid socks or cables or other small things.

supportengineer 2y ago
This might be OK for a vacuum cleaner, but nobody in their right mind would choose cameras over LiDAR for important applications.
- NRv9tR 2y ago
  If I understand correctly Tesla is/has removed LIDAR and uses computer vision for most/all of their self driving. https://bdtechtalks.com/2021/06/28/tesla-computer-vision-autonomous-driving/ https://bdtechtalks.com/2021/06/28/tesla-computer-vision-aut...
  - Alupis 2y ago
    Yes, perhaps the single-most controversial decision Tesla has made regarding FSD. Everyone else uses LIDAR in some form. Tesla's cameras can and have been fooled on many occasions.
    - bmicraft 2y ago
      Yeah okay, but that doesn't mean _cameras_ are bad (which, to be fair, they are in Teslas case), it means the algorithms feeding on them are.
      - Alupis 2y ago
        It means the cameras can be fooled by things LIDAR cannot be. Such as smoke, glare, reflections, optical illusions/mirage, etc. If the algorithms are fed with incorrect data, they will produce incorrect results - such as driving full-speed into a parked, white colored, semi-truck.
        bmicraft 2y ago
        And lidar can't tell the difference between a plastic bag and a rock, what's your point?
        Alupis 2y ago
        One can (and has been) fooled into thinking there is no object in the path - the other might be extra sensitive to any object in it's path. I'll let you stew on that one for a minute...

Rebelgecko 2y ago

Lidar doesn't work for some things- my Roborock S7 has trouble if there's a USB cable on the ground or a lamp's power cord isn't tucked all the way up against the wall. Supposedly the camera models are better at avoiding certain obstacles, which is good if you have a pet or housemate who sometimes poops inside and you don't want that getting mopped all over the floor. That's a compelling use case for me but considering how many of these vacuums have had privacy issues, I stuck with Lidar (people cast aspersions on the Chinese companies but US manufacturers have track records that don't inspire confidence either - just ask the Roomba employees who got their naked pics leaked online)

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
Scoundreller 2y ago
just wrap your cables in retroreflective tape?
- techbrovanguard 2y ago
  this is a joke… right?
  - Scoundreller 2y ago
    It’d be ugly but should make them really pop on the lidar, no?
s1mon 2y ago
"good if you have a pet or housemate who sometimes poops inside" I have a pet (cat) that unfortunately poops just outside her box most of the time, despite a lot of different ideas and approaches with the help of our vet. She's old and has lower back pain issues. It ends up on a litter mat or the wooden floor, so it's not that hard to clean up. If I had a housemate that pooped inside not in the toilet, they would need to be even less able to manage their shit, so to speak, and more loved than our cat, or they would be out of here very fast.

tzs 2y ago

In addition to what others have said, I believe some use an upward facing camera to help with mapping. Ceilings tend to be less cluttered than floors so it is easier to figure out the shapes of rooms and their relationships by looking at the ceiling than by looking at the floor.