Robot vacuum cleaners revolutionising office cleaning

The shiny new robot vacuum cleaner scuttles along the wall, makes a U-turn at the end of the corridor and comes back along the other wall. Grains of sand and the few pieces of rubbish on the fitted carpet are sucked up into the machine.

 "Robotics are now part of everyday operations in all sectors. When ISS proposed the use of a robot vacuum in our premises, we considered this a positive change," says Mikko Kosonen, Elo's facility and security manager.

Together with the equipment manufacturer, ISS took care of programming the robot vacuum cleaner, so Elo only needed to inform its employees that the device was being tested. Bringing this new kind of technology into the office raised many questions and some hesitation.

 "I didn't have any previous experience of robot vacuum cleaners. Mostly, I thought about practical matters, such as how noisy the machine would be. When I learned more about it, however, I noticed that its decibel level was pretty low," Kosonen says.

Best results on large floor surfaces

At the beginning of their shift, the cleaner picks up the robot vacuum cleaner from the charging point, carries it to the premises and turns it on, after which the robot vacuum cleaner follows its programmed route.  During the pilot testing stage, a cleaner will always be working near the robot vacuum cleaner in case of any problems.

 "There have been no complaints about its performance. The robot vacuum cleaner cleans up its route carefully and never misses a spot," Kosonen says.

The device's 21 sensors ensure its safety, constantly monitoring the surroundings of the robot vacuum cleaner. When it observes an obstacle, the machine stops immediately; there is no danger of it crashing into anything. 

"The weakness of the robot vacuum cleaner is that it is not suitable for all spaces. Due to its sensory technology, it requires as much solid and unbroken wall surfaces around it as possible. We have extensive open office spaces with many desks and cabinets, where the robot vacuum cleaner cannot be used. The machine is at its best on large, open floor surfaces.

Technology of the future

The robot vacuum cleaner being tested at Elo’s premises is the first of its kind in Europe, which means that the feedback collected during pilot testing is extremely valuable.

"During the pilot stage, we will consider whether the robot vacuum cleaner is the right choice for facilities such as our office. It is important to review the whole issue; the advantages achieved and the quality of cleaning," Kosonen says.

According to research, the cleaning performance and efficiency of robot vacuum cleaners are in a class of their own. In addition to this, the machine will leave more time for the cleaners to perform tasks that require more creative problem-solving abilities.

In the future, cleaning robots could be a familiar sight in offices and other facilities.

"Despite digitalisation and the development of robotics, robot vacuum cleaners can still be a hard thing to accept. This is a completely new kind of area to discover and it requires some getting used to. In the future, we might wonder why no one invented cleaning robots sooner."

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