Fukitorimushi by Panasonic: A nanofiber robot to keep the dirt away

At first glance you might think it is an ordinary pillow. But there’s more to this pillow-like thing than meets the eye. Known as the Fukitorimushi, it is an autonomous floor-cleaning robot that was recently unveiled at Tokyo Fiber Senseware exposition in Milan. Fukitorimushi (lit. “wipe-up bug”) is designed by Panasonic and incorporates nanofiber technology developed by textile maker Teijin, Ltd. The robot crawls like an inchworm and uses a super-absorbent nanofiber cloth to wipe up microscopic dust and residue that ordinary vacuums ignore. The robot uses “feelers” of blue-white light to search for floor grime and once it finds a dirty spot; the robot emits a red light and puts extra effort to cleaning that area.

The Nanofront Cloth covering the robots body is made of polyester filament fibers measuring 700 nanometers in diameter (about 7,500 times thinner than the average human hair!). These nanofibers increase the fabric’s surface area and porosity while the large surface contact area increases the fabric’s friction helping the robot to move forward. After finishing his cleaning duty, the robot returns to his charging station to replenish his energy. The owner is expected to periodically change the nanocloth and replace it with a clean one.

The designers claim that the task of looking after this robot might cause owners to develop pet-like affection towards Fukitorimushi. A great product, it will definitely take a lot of time getting used to watching this robot crawl about the house.