A 45-story office tower in New York has become the first in the world to deploy the Ozmo automated window cleaning system, where a platform dangled from the roof is home to robots that spritz the glass 3x faster than human cleaning crews.
The Ozmo setup essentially mounts a pair of Kuka robotic arms to a cleaning platform that hangs from the roof of a tower, and equips each with a brush head and water.
There are force sensors in play that help the cleaning bot to judge how fragile a window pane is, and apply the appropriate pressure for an efficient wash. The company reports that the window cleaning bot employs LiDAR sensors for localization and positioning, while artificial intelligence algorithms ensure stability even in gusty conditions.
At the moment, team Ozmo is controlled via a computer operator on the roof of the building, so there's still a role for human workers, but full autonomy is on the cards for the future. This will not only help fill a "growing labor shortage of window cleaners" but will also "keep humans out of harm's way."
Skyline Robotics has been developing and testing the system for a few years now, but the deployment at the 1133 Avenue of the Americas building in New York – which is owned and managed by the Durst Organization – represents the start of global rollout.
The next city in line will likely be across the pond in London, where Skyline has partnered with Principle Cleaning Services for future deployment in the UK capital. Patents have also been secured in Japan and Singapore to support rollouts farther afield.
"Together with our partners Palladium Window Solutions and The Durst Organization, Skyline Robotics is changing centuries of tradition and the landscape of Manhattan forever with our advanced technology," said Skyline's CEO, Michael Brown. "We're delivering the future of façade maintenance as Ozmo and human window cleaners work in unison to protect the health of buildings faster and safer than existing solutions."
The video below from the Durst Organization shows Ozmo in action at 1133 Avenue of the Americas.
Source: Skyline Robotics
