While robots for household chores have long been anticipated, most available models are just robot vacuums. More advanced robots that clean surfaces, organize, or cook are either too costly or not yet on the market.
Researchers at Northeastern University developed SCCRUB, a soft robotic arm that scrubs surfaces—going beyond vacuuming and mopping. According to a paper on arXiv, it effectively removes over 99% of dirt, grease, and burnt residue.
Expanding the Capabilities of a Soft Robotic Arm
Jeffrey Lipton, senior author, told Tech Xplore their new research builds on a previous Science Robotics paper. They developed a soft robotic arm with drill-level force and aimed to explore more uses for it.
To evaluate the capabilities of their soft robotic arm further, Lipton and his team began researching practical real-world uses online. They found that a scrubbing brush was a top-selling drill attachment on Amazon, inspiring them to attach it to their robotic arm.
A New Approach to Robotic Cleaning
“Most people have probably found themselves scrubbing something and wondering, ‘Why can’t a robot do this?’” said Jakub F. Kowalewski, the paper’s lead author. The problem is that robot arms strong enough for intense cleaning are often unsafe to use around humans. Our goal was to show that robots can be flexible, safe, and still strong enough to scrub tough grime.
SCCRUB, the newly developed robotic arm, consists of three key components: a counter-rotating scrubbing brush, a deep learning-based software controller that determines the necessary cleaning actions, and TRUNC cells—robotic elements previously created by Lipton and his team.
“TRUNC stands for torsionally rigid universal couplings,” Lipton explained. These cells can bend, stretch, and flex while still transmitting torque. By linking and nesting these components, we built a soft, lightweight robotic arm that delivers drill-level torque—making it safe around people while powerful enough to clean tough grime.
The SCCRUB robot’s actions are guided by a machine learning-based controller, which plans the movement of specific sections of the arm to reach targeted positions while taking into account its flexible structure. The team also equipped the robotic arm with a bristled brush attachment designed to scrub away dirt and grime.
“The brush attachment uses a planetary gearbox to counter-rotate the brush,” explained Alyssa Ugent, co-author of the study. “This counter-rotation cancels out frictional forces, allowing the soft arm to press firmly into a surface without shifting its position.”
Successful Cleaning Trials Demonstrate SCCRUB’s Effectiveness
To evaluate its effectiveness, the researchers tested a prototype of the SCCRUB arm in a range of cleaning tasks. It was able to remove nearly all residue from a glass plate that had been microwaved with ketchup on it, as well as a toilet seat smeared with blueberry fruit preserves.
“Our soft robotic arm can safely operate in human environments and around people, yet still deliver the kind of force usually seen only in expensive, rigid robots,” Lipton said.
“We hope this new approach to building robots will enable them to work alongside us in shared spaces, handling dull and dirty tasks without posing any danger,” the team stated. “Our next step is to continue refining the SCCRUB arm so it can take on additional tasks.”
The research team’s robotic scrubber may soon be enhanced to handle an even wider variety of household chores. Lipton and his colleagues aim to move the technology beyond the lab and into real-world home environments.
“I look forward to a future where soft robotic arms can safely support humans in everything from industrial work to everyday household duties,” added Kowalewski.
Read the original article on: Techxplore
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