Robotic Cleaning making Transition from Domestic to Industrial

How is technology equipping the robots to take on the cleaning process?

With an increasingly busy life, people are finding less time for household activities. Changing lifestyle, high disposable income, growing working population, rising purchasing power, and ease of usage are some of the reasons why consumers today are looking out for gadgets that can help them reduce chores and be more productive. Our homes are getting smarter day by day. Today, a home can contain many devices that continue to make menial tasks easier and improve the standard of living. 

Robotic vacuum cleaners are typically mobile, application-specific robots that automate cleaning processes. They are tasked with a variety of basic chores such as sweeping and swabbing floors. The lifestyle shock induced by Covid-19 means that robotic cleaners have moved from novelty to need.  Robotic vacuum cleaners are also becoming intelligent, capable of complex tasks such as identifying and alerting any misplaced objects, efficient path planning for floor cleaning, and identifying voice commands. Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful tool that can be used to improve their cleaning processes. 

Robotic cleaners are also making the transition from domestic to industrial applications, as witnessed by the rollout of autonomous mobile robots for commercial cleaning. Floor scrubbers and mid-size vacuum cleaners can work alongside cleaning operatives rather than being dependent on them for the entire operation. Cleaners can use these robots as effective tools, while still being needed on the front and back end of the robotic process.

How feasible is this process on a long term basis

In India, the acceptance of new technology is pretty high, but the challenge is to change the mind-set from traditional ways of cleaning. Individuals are used to cleaning their floors every day, and they like to do both dry sweeping and wet mopping. The idea is to show them how this can be done effortlessly with the help of these devices. Automating cleaning processes is surely feasible on a long term basis. For example, take the case of the current scenario. A lot of people who are dependent on domestic help for household chores have to undertake these themselves. In this situation, a device that completes these tasks with minimum effort and time will definitely be a success. From an industry perspective, a robotic cleaner can help free up time for the faculty admin team for another more important and more profitable task.                                                                                                                                   

Do robots solve the issue of time management? 

Absolutely!!! Robotic vacuum cleaners are increasingly been preferred owing to their ability to clean the area without human intervention. By having a robot do the vacuuming and mopping, consumers are able to save the time that otherwise they would have spent doing the chore. Even in the basic models consumers don’t need to worry about battery recharging as these robots are capable of automatically maneuvering themselves towards the charging point and restarting from the same point at which it got discharged. The robots have been designed to cut down on time spent in the cleaning process. 

How sustainable is this technology in a post Covid-19 scenario

One thing that the current scenario has shown us is that automation is the way forward. We are seeing a rise in the demand for appliances and devices that in the past were not desired by the consumers. A couple of examples include robotic vacuum cleaners and the dishwashers. With home cleaning being one of the least preferred household chores in any home automating cleaning processes is surely feasible on a long term basis. For example, take the case of the current scenario. A lot of people who are dependent on domestic help for household chores have to undertake these themselves. In this situation, a device that completes these tasks with minimum effort and time will definitely be a success.  

Features of the work that the robot can perform 

The robot is equipped to perform the following chores - 

·         Vacuuming and mopping

·         Decision making based on the object detected to cover maximum area 

·         Identifying misplaced objects and alerting on the same 

·         Identifying and categorizing personal living space in house through various commands 

How is AI being used here?

Modern robotic vacuums deliver consistent performance and enhanced cleaning features, but continue to struggle with uneven terrain and navigation challenges. Artificial Intelligence can be a powerful tool that can be used to improve their cleaning processes. An AI based robotic vacuum cleaner can easily detect the floor type and decide the most optimum cleaning methods, avoid obstacles like wires and prevent entanglement, and not get stuck in tight spaces. Other areas AI can be beneficial is in layout planning and can help robots cover a maximum area in the cleaning process and avoid collision by recognizing objects in the way. 

Can features that can be customized based on preferences

Customizations can be achieved through the companion applications that come with all modern robotic vacuum cleaners. These include scheduling of cleaning, boundary setting for rooms, cleaning preference (vacuum or mop) etc. But though the use AI based applications these features can be extrapolated to be more user centric. With features that can differentiate between room (kitchen, bedroom) and automatically decide cleaning process. On the device side we can have modular designs that allow for attachments for different functions like mopping, vacuuming, vacuuming carpets etc.