ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION – CLEANING
Cleaning bots in brief
Food and drink: German chancellor Angela Merkel and Swedish
prime minister Stefan Löfven (centre and right) visited the
booth of motion plastics specialist igus at the Hanover Trade
Fair during April. They were shown ‘cost-e ective robotics
made in Germany’, including a service robot arm that could
soon dry the dishes and lay the table on call. “We would like to
continue to provide the federal chancellor with the service she
had in the chancellor’s o ce after her term of o ce. This will
give her more time for other things, such as writing political or
scienti c books,” joked MD Frank Blasé (second from left). He
continued: “In one or two years, such a robot will be ready to go
into production and a ordable.”
www.is.gd/qufano
Ground handling: Nordic Dino, a supplier of aircraft washing
robots and washing services, released a version of the aircraft
exterior cleaning robot ‘Nordic Dino’ with an electrical driveline
and zero emissions, in 2017. It is said to reduce carbon footprint
and work towards a more sustainable future for aircraft exterior
cleaning. Bene ts are a better and safer working environment
and lower total cost of ownership, with reduced maintenance
and operating costs, the company adds. www.is.gd/tarori
Domestic: Electrolux announced the U.S. launch of its Pure i9
robotic vacuum cleaner last year, following its release in Europe.
The robot can auto-adjust to oor type for maximum cleaning
performance, while the Pure i9 app can be used for scheduled
cleaning and remote control. Other features include, 3D Vision
navigation with camera and laser, and an anti-tangle brush for
cleaning in corners. www.is.gd/micefe
Retail: Supermarket giant Woolworths has reportedly
introduced a robot at a store in Sydney, Australia, that cleans
up spills and identi es hazards. A spokesperson told Daily
Mail Australia that the new technology aims to make the store
safer by roaming around and looking for potential safety
hazards, allowing a sta member to act quickly.
www.is.gd/uvoyek
Concept: An automated cleaning system consisting of
hundreds of ying mini-robots won the Electrolux Design
Lab competition in 2013. Created by Columbian designer
Adrian Perez Zapata, the ‘Mab’ system works by scanning a
house to determine what areas need cleaning. Its central unit
then sends its army of 906 robots to clean and deodorise
surfaces by touching them with a drop of water. “My concept
Mab only requires a short initial con guration to function
autonomously, so you could arrive home and see a swarm of
mini-robots roaming around cleaning independently,” Zapata
said. The Electrolux Design Lab competition invited design
students from around the world to present their ideas for
future household environments.
June 2019 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 15
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