What’s more useful than a Roomba vacuum?

Roomba vacuums are inherently very independent — all you have to do is set them down and turn them on, and they’ll autonomously clean the whole floor for you. But there is one thing where they desperately need your help: climbing stairs.  

Peter Sripol has a homemade solution to that problem, and maybe one day someone will develop it for commercial use. With help from a friend, Sripol quite literally gave his Roomba wings. Using a cheaper model instead of a Roomba, the pair bolted three ducted fans to the robovac’s outer casing on its sides. Then, they added hinged rudders to prevent it from spinning aimlessly while in flight. And with a battery and RC transmitter for wireless remote control, they put the finishing touches on their first flying robot vacuum.

Once they had perfected their design, they switched to using a more expensive branded Roomba device. While it does technically still need the help of a human in order to fly, no one has to compromise the vacuum’s dignity by picking it up and carrying it up the stairs in their arms like a child.