Seek N’ Sneak is the robotic pet you’ve always wanted

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Need your room cleaned? This Arduino-powered robot can be programmed to find and move objects for you.  

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Let’s face it, who wants to spend hours doing tedious chores when a robotic companion can do the work? Whether it’s tidying up the living room, setting the kitchen table or clearing off the desk, you may soon be able to kick back, relax and watch an Arduino-powered droid take care of it for you. That’s if it were left up to Maker Konstantin Stolpovsky, who has developed the latest DIY kit with hopes of spurring the mainstream adoption of our robotic counterparts. Seek N’ Sneak is a self-controlled device is not only capable of doing “robotty things,” but impressively can chase, locate and even move objects up to three pounds. In other words, we may actually be one step closer to having our own Jetsons-like Rosie or a pet like C.H.O.M.P.S.

Initially conceived as a way to motivate young Makers to clean their rooms, the robot can be assigned to carry out a wide range of mundane tasks. Built around the versatile Arduino Mega (ATmega2560), the open-source machine can be programmed to navigate, seek out or throw items grab with a little coding in the Arduino IDE.

The standard Seek N’ Sneak set is comprised of everything a Maker would possibly require to assemble their very own autonomous bot. This includes an Arduino for its brain, several laser-cut body parts, DC motors with encoders, dual-motor shield and wheels, arm powering servos, IR proximity sensors, and the standard nuts, bolts and wires. What’s more, when it comes to the robots’ arms and chassis, Makers can choose from either 5mm black acrylic glass, 3mm galvanized aluminum or 2mm milled carbon-fiber composite.

As for how it works, the robot is equipped with a pair of driving wheels that are powered by independently-controlled motors and equipped with 128 steps-per-revolution encoders to enable precise manuevering, velocity and acceleration. Meanwhile, two mounted IR proximity meters handle the rover’s 2D orientation, while a third sensor detects nearby objects. Both arms are run by a trio of robust servo motors, which provide enough speed and power to lift up about three pounds, throw object or lift another Seek N’ Sneak pal.

“Though Seek N’ Sneak was designed as a fully autonomous, upgradable robot. There is plenty of space inside the body of the robot to extend Arduino board with extra sensors, or with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth shields to establish communication with a computer or remote control,” Stolpovsky reveals.

Looking for a robotic companion to tidy up your room for you? Head over to its official Kickstarter page, where Stolpovsky is currently seeking $11,161. Delivery is slated for September 2015.