When designing a robot it may help to consider where you think it might do its thing.

So here's perhaps an enumeration of robot operating environments:

  • entirely smooth vinyl, wood or concrete floor, indoor
  • mostly smooth wood or tile floor, indoor
  • typical indoor flooring, with transitions (smooth, tiled, carpet and rug)
  • relatively smooth outdoor (concrete sidewalk, wood deck, parking lot)
  • moderately even suburban outdoor (concrete, lawn, transitions, but no stairs, curbs, or cliffs)
  • challenging suburban outdoor (uneven concrete, curbs, stairs, cliffs)
  • wild environments (sand or beach, up in the mountains, tree branches, rocks, cliffs, anything goes)
  • snow
  • water surface
  • water surface/amphibious
  • underwater
  • airborne
  • outer space or other planets

There's also the notion of whether a robot can handle rain or spray. Or on a beach, can it avoid the waves?

See also: Robot Related Goals