In what is a world first, the City of New York has welcomed the future in window cleaning. An office tower standing 45 stories high at 1133 Avenue of the Americas becomes the first site ever to implement the Ozmo autonomous window-cleaning system, raising higher than usual standards for building maintenance. It consists of a rooftop-hung platform with a pair of Kuka robotic arms having brush heads and water sprayers. These robots clean windows at three times the speed achieved by human crews that use traditional methods.
The Ozmo robots are designed with some cutting edge features like force sensors based on the fragility of the glass to fine-tune pressure ensuring efficient and gentle cleaning. It further does its localization and positioning using LiDAR sensors with the aid of artificial intelligence algorithms which ensure that the stability of these robots is maintained even in windy conditions, a need that strongly speaks into New York’s weather.
Ozmo is now run by a computer operator who is positioned on the roof, but its creator, Skyline Robotics, sees complete autonomy in the future. This shift will not only improve safety by lowering the need for human workers to carry out this hazardous operation, but it will also assist alleviate a rising labor crisis in the window-cleaning sector.
The first city to be included in the global rollout will be London, owing to a collaboration with Principle Cleaning Services, after the deployment in New York. Additionally, Skyline Robotics has obtained patents in Singapore and Japan, opening the door for additional global growth.
Michael Brown, CEO of Skyline Robotics, remarked, “We’re changing centuries of tradition and transforming the landscape of Manhattan with our advanced technology.” This innovative approach allows robots and humans to work side by side, improving both the safety and efficiency of building maintenance.
