ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION – CLEANING
Doing the dirty
Recent research has suggested that more than four in five Brits want robots to ‘do the dirty work’. Luckily, such
technology is starting to become a reality, able to take over different tasks in various sectors of industry
A clean environment is of
utmost importance in
industry, particularly sectors
such as pharmaceuticals,
livestock, and food and
drink, where germs and dirt need to
be dealt with properly in order to avoid
product contamination and the risk of
making people ill. Depending on the size
of the operation, tasks such as floor
cleaning and washing are typically reliant
on an individual cleaner, up to a whole
team of cleaners, armed with an array of
equipment and chemicals.
However, data released in February
on behalf of automatica, the trade fair
By Adam Offord
for robotics and automation, claims that
UK employees want robots to take over
unhealthy (83%), hazardous (77%) and
monotonous (72%) jobs.
The survey of 1,000 UK employees also
found that the majority of workers not
only want robots to take over the dirty, dull
and dangerous work, but about 70% think
that robots give people the chance to
learn more qualified work and create more
opportunities for education and training
(www.is.gd/anoluw).
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution,
automation and robotics may just be
able to take on the labour-intensive
cleaning regimes that many have come to
loathe. Indeed, the technology is there,
and advancing, as many companies are
starting to show with innovations and
products for different markets.
COMMERCIAL KITCHEN BOT
British tech company Cambridge
Consultants has delivered a prototype
automation system that is said to
address one of the most unloved tasks in
commercial kitchens.
Using a combination of consultancy
and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI)
and robotics, ‘Turbo Clean’ automates
the process of clearing food trays and
washing dirty dishes (pictured, left).
The automation system is part of a
wider business transformation initiative
undertaken for a multinational commercial
catering company.
Combining deep learning, machine
vision and robotics, it recognises the
contents of returning food trays, removes
the items from each tray, including food
waste and cutlery from plates, glasses and
other crockery, and loads the different
items into a dishwasher.
Cambridge Consultants first analysed
the kitchen tasks most suitable for
automation, identifying those that would
generate not only commercial value, but
human appreciation, and that would be
welcomed by staff and management
alike. After conducting primary research
within commercial catering operations,
the technology company pinpointed the
single process that staff most wanted
to automate, and that would yield the
best business benefits: clearing trays and
washing dishes.
The result is an entirely new kitchen
cleaning procedure, whereby one food tray
Turbo Clean recognises the contents of
returning food trays and removes the items
14 www.operationsengineer.org.uk June 2019
/anoluw)
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk