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Mint +,  | International Design Awards Winners
Mint +,  | International Design Awards Winners
Mint +,  | International Design Awards Winners
Mint +,  | International Design Awards Winners
Mint +,  | International Design Awards Winners
Mint +,  | International Design Awards Winners

Mint +

Lead Designers
Prize(s)Silver in Media And Home Electronics / Robotics
Project LinkView
Entry Description

Mint Plus is an automatic floor-cleaning robot designed exclusively for hard surface floors. It dusts and wet-mops using washable microfiber cleaning cloths or popular cleaning cloths like Swiffer brand dry and wet cleaning cloths or other similar products.

Convenience and simplicity is core to Mint Plus. The product only has 3 buttons for ‘power’, ‘sweep mode’ and ‘mop mode’. Cloths are easily attached to a removable pad, which snaps back into place magnetically. Once the cloth is attached and Mint Plus is on, it’s a one-button operation: place it on the floor and press start.

Most cleaning appliances on the market focus on functionality. The design of such products typically does not take into consideration how it would fit into a family’s décor, or more specifically, how it reflects the sense of beauty and pride many mothers and wives take in their environment. Mint Plus is designed to be seen instead of used and put away.

Mint Plus starts by cleaning open areas, moving methodically back and forth across the floor in parallel lines. Mint Plus uses the NorthStar Navigation System, which works like an indoor GPS that helps Mint Plus keep track of where it has been and where it needs to go. Specifically, the NorthStar Cube projects a signal that Mint uses to determine its location. As Mint Plus starts cleaning, it builds a map of the area as it goes, marking walls, obstacles and drop offs as it encounters them. As Mint Plus encounters obstacles, it decides how to handle them – either cleaning around them and then continuing on its path or turning around, saving the area ahead for later. Periodically, Mint will return to these spots and clean them before moving on to an entirely new area.