In the Corona pandemic, the way spaces could be experienced has changed a lot and many places have suddenly become inaccessible. The Remote Explorer was about enabling people to experience the rooms of the Code & Context study course at TH Köln–University of Applied Sciences remotely. The goal was achieved by using a specially adapted Roomba vacuum cleaner.

We have used a Raspberry PI and an ESP as an interface to communicate and interact with the Roomba. In order for the user to access the dedicated website, a QR-Code needed to be scanned. All the users on the website could cast their votes within a few seconds and thus decide in a participatory manner the direction in which the Remote Explorer (RE) should move. An algorithm then calculated the average from the input, which represented the final direction of the Remote Explorer.

Two different users give an input: A (1x left) and B (1x right). After the calculation, the explorer would move straight forward accordingly.