ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A new robotic cleaning machine, said to be the first in Singapore, has been developed by jointly by property developer JTC, WIS Holdings and Gaussian Robotics. Scrub 50 made its debut at the JTC Cleantech One building earlier this month, reported The Straits Times.

The developers hope the 1.1-metre tall robot will provide a solution to the labour challenges in the cleaning industry caused by an ageing workforce.

Mr Aloysius Chong, director of Gaussian Robotics, said: "It has sensors to detect which part of the building it's at, it sends reports after it finishes cleaning a particular area and there's no danger of it bumping into people or objects because it's equipped with laser detectors, cameras and sensors. In the future we may get it to talk and say 'excuse me'."

Where daily scrubbing of 5,000 square metres over a one-month period would require a cleaner to put in 300 hours of work, the robot takes 130 hours, its developers claim.

Scrub 50 can also sense when its battery charge or clean water supply is low. Without human intervention, it can direct itself to its docking station, where it charges itself, rinses its tanks and refills with water.

it is hoped Scrub 50 will be up and running in other buildings later this year.