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<DIV>John, </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Along the same line as changes for base seeking, it is possible that as
Chris suggested, form over function may have come into play in the bumper being
curved along axis normal to floor plane allowing more entrapment. Another
idea might be that suspension was not part of the original design and
adding/increasing it may have increased cleaning effectiveness while also
increasing likely hood of entrapment. In this case, editing production injection
molds for the body/bumper have been way out of the question.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So "Robotics 101?" -- might be a little harsh.</DIV>
<DIV>In fact, look at the Roomba prototype called Scamp.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Link to IFR Robotics Newsletter Q4 2005</DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://lib.sia.cn/download/IFR_Newsletter_4Q_2005.pdf">http://lib.sia.cn/download/IFR_Newsletter_4Q_2005.pdf</A>
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I think it is easy to focus on product faults and even find solutions to
specific problems, but thinking about the entire picture is quite humbling.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ron Grant</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>