ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

LionsBot is demonstrating its more serious side with the launch of the new R5 automatic scrubber.

The trademark expressive eyes that have defined the company's products in the past have gone: instead, this no-nonsense machine is dark grey in colour and business-like in appearance.

"We've moved away from the ‘eyes' with the R5 because we wanted to launch a more professional-looking machine," said key account engineer Hasshith Nambula.

Making its debut at Interclean, the R5 requires minimal human supervision and has been engineered to never get stuck. It has a 50 litre tank capacity and a maximum runtime of four hours 20 minutes.

"The R5 is particularly nimble because it has a circular design that allows it to turn on the spot," says Nambula. "It has been expressly designed for use in industrial environments as well as warehouses and supermarkets."

The R5 continuously learns about its environment and adapts each time so that it can clean more efficiently.

Fans of the trademark LionsBot eyes will still find them in the manufacturer's R3 Scrub and R3 Vac machines, however.

The blinking eyes form part of the company's philosophy to make its machines seem engaging and friendly rather than simply functional.