SOMATIC - bathroom cleaning robots for office buildings

[@noogia1]

Yeah its a good idea but im a custodian and there is a difference between using a brush to actually apply the chemical and scrub the build up off (with a hard metal scraper) its good for general cleaning and spraying down but for actually applying pressure the robot would need to be able to press hard against the tile to actually clean properly. Also you would need to configure it for bathroom that get used by school kids as they leave a huge mess and break the soap dispenser/toilets/etc. I could see this for a simple office with adults but for a turbulent environment where a bathroom is blown up it would need to configure for spray time, removal of build up, and also would need to be able to detect any broken equipment. Good idea but it would also need to be able to apply some type of mop to actually scrub the floor and get rid of blood, poop,etc. There can sometimes be blood and poop on the walls/stained into the toilet and it would have to account for all this in order to sanitize the bathroom 100 percent. Good idea for simple cleaning but for a more rushed environment a human is still better.

[@yuusakugodai7187]

I see that robot is perfect for cleaning clean spaces. Good job 👍

[@dmo4657]

Such an engineering flex

[@BrazenSpirituality]

This thing sprays a liquid and vacuums it up from the floor. Clearly no scrubbing is done on any surface, it also missed many portions of the floor and is far from a complete bathroom cleaning criteria. Seems like a school project with expensive parts cobbled together to try to reach the goal, but definitely not a winner.

[@davidcollins6164]

probably does better than you would

[@Roberto-pc1sw]

This should definitely be the top comment.

[@dhinas9444]

Proof of concept. Three firmware updates down the line and cleaning is flawless. Although the physical scrubbing is missing, yes, but if the water spray is strong enough, non should be needed. Look at carwashes, modern ones are prsctically without scrubbing, the high pressure water stream does the job.

[@Sh3ba5843]

@@dhinas9444 really how about the stall doors and handles disinfect, and the spit and vomit? What about the dusty vents? Clogged toilets? Replace all paper goods? Hand soap? All those fixtures should be wiped. Mirrors? I can go on, feminine hygiene dispensers cleaned? This would never survive in a University dormitory.

[@dhinas9444]

@@Sh3ba5843 yeah, I get your point. 30 years ago, having a small self-propelled robot vacuuming your house or mowing your lawn would be a total work of imagination, nonsense. Now it's reality. Even though the Robotics is not yet ready to clean/work in the harshest of environments (uni dormitory :D), but there are plenty cleaning/utility jobs already automated and it will only continue as the technology gets better. This is a proof of concept and of course it missed that and that and if you came in the bathroom, shat on the floor and vomited on the ceiling the robot would beep, throw an error and die of electrical short probably. No reason to put it down, as it is with self-driving cars, humanoid robotics, warehouse robotics etc., the technology gets better because people generally do not want to do this kind of work. They usually do it bevause they must.

[@MyLittleMagneton]

Lots of potential here! Just needs to be smaller and faster I think. Maybe a cylindrical shape would help strike a better balance between internal volume and maneuverability. And an extra arm to speed things up.

[@ronnymarquez1986]

It also needs to be battery operated, I think I saw a extension cord in the back of the machine. I also don't like the fact that whenever it's spraying the solution in the urinals it's also spraying the walls, some walls are sheet rock and spraying a solution on it wouldn't be smart. I do like the idea of having a robot cleaning my toilets and urinals.

[@user-jt5vm3mi1w]

It doesn't need to be faster

[@dsp4392]

As cool as it is, I can only imagine how eye-wateringly expensive this machine must be. Probably upwards of $500K. Still cool to see that someone is working on this and can't wait for the economies of scale to kick in so that we can have those in our homes. Edit: So it's only available as a service contract, for $1K/month for 40h of running time/week. That's actually not bad, and less expensive than a luxury car.

[@airy790]

If it use a pressure washer then that’s the scrubbing. What it really need is a vision system that determines if more cleaning is needed.

[@vampire64]

Anyone that has cleaned before knows the best way to clean a surface is by spraying but also scrubbing if not you won't get much off. When I was my car I use a power washer but also scrub it to really get the dirt off.

[@KingHavocDraigo]

we don't have to scrub anymore

[@Louis13XIII]

How was life when you were your car

[@falmanna]

It is a great concept but requires a lot of polishing

[@phreak074]

While this robot is detecting and maneuvering through the environment it is not tracking where it has cleaned. If it is then it's not doing the greatest job. The floor had some obvious misses with spraying and the passing over with a vacuum. Not to mention it "dried" the area in front of it while it was on dirty water, then rolled on the dry area with dirty water from its wheels.

[@JB-mb6lm]

Better than employees that will completely not even try to go in and clean it

[@maxwellcousineau4612]

I've been wanting one of these for quite a while

[@stringcheese2425]

I need this robot in my life....wish I had one :(

[@jonthgrutz7011]

Can it do all janitorial tasks autonomously ?

[@SpenserRoger]

It's never going to clean unless it actually scrubs. Any such implements---ideally--- would need to be washed/sterilized in between uses to prevent cross contamination as well. Bathroom implements should be location type specific as well, ie: bathroom only, kitchen only, etc. The spray head control algorithm, again---ideally, needs to have its path design allow for it to spray from directions more than just straight ahead or slightly down angle. It needs up angle and side angles to hit hard to reach spots.

[@SpenserRoger]

Oh yeah, after cleaning the surface should be rinsed with water. This reduces the propensity for things to stick to the surface and extends time between cleaning. Filtered water, like the RO water, or even just deionized distilled water or water with a rinse aid will leave a spot free surface.

[@SpenserRoger]

One more thing... your awesome robot needs a edge tool for vacuuming. An edge tool for scrubbing would be good too. Not to mention a method for picking up large debris ie: rolled up paper towel as that junk is often thrown around public bathrooms. A vacuum squeegee and window brush for the mirrors would be awesome as well. Another great idea would be a way to replace consumables like paper towel, toilet paper, and soap. What I'm thinking is the robot just pulls the towel and toilet paper dispensers off the wall and replaces them with pre filled and staged units. With soap perhaps it can be filled using a quick connect one way valve. The ability to refill the dispensers is a great way to enable additional revenue as using proprietary dispensers allows the use of proprietary consumables, and there is lots of money to be made off supplying paper and soap to high volume locations. Emptying trash cans would be a good idea too, just use a trap door or something in the side and suck all the trash out.

[@SpenserRoger]

Oh that's so cool you're working out of Hax! What's your target price for the robot? Subscription service/lease or buy out? I understand a bit more about your 3 step cleaning process after watching your other video. Despite pressure washing, like I said it's unlikely to actually clean very well. 100% of the surface also needs to be hit with the thin stream. Once an initial clean is done perhaps the surfaces can be kept reasonable clean again if coverage is 100%, and the pressure is actually substantial. Still you're going to get splashing then and walls, etc will need to be cleaned. Surfaces like grout would respond well to pressure washing, pressure will need to be high. Painted surfaces will almost surely need scrubbing or wiping to ensure actual cleaning. Porcelain surfaces repeated wetted will get build ups of hard water scale and soap scum. Clinging porcelain cleaner / toilet bowl cleaner which contain a bit of acid will help to loosen this stuff however it requires a bit of time to work and gets neutralized easily if there is any substantial build up. Even after writing all the above I'm still wondering if pressure washing will work enough. Like for example it's not going to take marks off of walls from people rubbing up against them. It's not going to get build up off toilets etc. I guess you'll have to see if a cleaning regiment will keep it clean. I would explore using a small scrub implement for getting into tight spots, some kind of brush/sponge/microfiber thing that spins and or vibrates, maybe even with liquid nozzle to wet. And one big one for large surfaces. It could then be returned to its holder which could be filled with liquid, then have the implement agitate inside it, then empty the holder and refill it with water again to agitate and rinse. Could be spun fast to dry it. Another consideration is standing water on counter tops. People love to flood that area and it needs to be vacuumed or dried off. UV sterilization is also an idea. An onboard o zone machine would be great at eliminating odors. A way to vacuum out plugged toilets would be great. Need to have a toilet flush ability as well. Unplugging a toilet using hydraulic pressure would be amazing as well. A big rubber stopper with a water outlet on the end could be shoved down into the toilet sealing it, the blockage could then be blasted down the drain. Or you could even just shove a vacuum house with a rubber stopper end down into the toilet and the blockage vacuumed out. One more idea: to autonomously empty and refill the tanks. It could even use the tap or some sort of connector and valve plummed into one of the lines feeding the toilet or sink would be good. Emptying the dirty solution tank into a toilet would also work. Oh and either some way of replacing the urinal pucks and maybe removing them or refilling them with an oil or granulated substance. Sucking improperly disposed of gum or cigarette butts from the urinals would be great too. Removing and refilling sanitary napkins would be great too for the women's bathroom. Having a posted number people could send an SMS to inorder to report or request an area requiring cleaning would be cool as well. Maybe a small battery so the machine could function with out power for a bit so it could drive to another location and plug itself in. Please let me know what you think of my comments. Your robot is very cool and I look forward to seeing more on the project. If you need a Canadian distributor let me know, my family and I own a commercial cleaning and cleaning supply/ repair service business.

[@TurokAgi]

Wow that's pretty crazy tech for 2019. Ai wasn't even popular yet til 2022

[@ThoughtsAndPretzels]

Is there a reason why the washroom was clean in the first place? (coming from a janitor)

[@theuncrownedkings5208]

Its called proof of concept

[@jonesani]

What about the toilett brush? Without deep cleaning of that particular spot, it wont be clean.

[@anaraquel1973]

Those robots would be good to clean soo many things during this pandemic.. do they spray water snd chemicals.. or just water??

[@anzone1957]

How to get this and how much its cost?

[@LionofJudah75]

I see a cable. Is this remote or machine handled? Is someone cleaning through the robot or is it smart enough to do it on it's own?

[@davidyoung2621]

I have never seen a clean public bathroom, cleaned by human beings. EVER!

[@sloopnee]

whats the song ?

[@grstevesadler]

Why the cord? Does it empty the trash? Wipe? scrub? Remove poop stains? Clean the seat that is propped up? Behind the toilet? Clean the mirror? This has a long way to go before it would really make sense to pay for. With everything left to do in the restroom after it does what it does why not just have the custodian do it all. Check back when this is really a good option.

[@prestonb1655]

The robot isn’t able to get airborne bacteria / pathogens that build up in the flush holes and under the fixtures. Sure if you want a piss poor job this is great

[@nivlek07]

Yesterday, a robot brought me dinner in an Italian restaurant in Richmond, VA

[@animegeek3109]

Bruh this was 4 years ago 💀 no shit that happened

[@nickwaruszewskinickw2768]

Robots already stealing jobs! But don’t worry who’s gonna clean/fix the robot? So at least our evil robot overlords will still need us!😂

[@ministerkenneththomasespin3082]

Do you know how to wax a floor and strip it robot I used to be a custodian

[@sylamsyntax23]

I just see it wetting up everything I don’t see it wiping or drying anything

[@bumfie]

Can ToiletBot cope with 4 bits of toilet paper dropped on the ground ?

[@ilangowren4797]

What is the price of this robot..?thank you..

[@daniellerupert793]

Same.

[@hgjm277]

Limpeza boa mas ser o vasso entupir ele chama um humano para limpar. Ser estiver um box ocupado ele iquinora ou esperar desculpa. Abastecer os papeis não vi fazendo. Quanto tempo ele leva em média para lavar um banheiro. E quanta horas ele tem de carregamento.

[@ВладТ-и1у]

Is it UR arm or your own originally manufactured one?

[@kevinbennett36]

Can it do sinks ???? Your right about the no scrubbing 🧽 part .

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

I like this. I wouldn’t have to worry about a woman janitor coming into the men’s room! 😄

[@RippieMedia]

30min. I think a real person would reach the goal in same time.

[@godspeed2145]

Except as a long term investment humans suck. YANG GANG 2020

[@jdsax456]

Yeah but you don't have to pay robots😉

[@derekengman9861]

Except the robot can reach that goal and you don't have to worry about it asking for a raise, complaining about hours, calling in sick, paying extra benefits to, don't have to worry about it getting hurt. This is scary for the work force out there but it is coming.

[@Karrguy1973]

@@derekengman9861 agreed Was an area manager that had a Mejiers contract in Michigan and reliable labor will make or break you. I would rather have had this and an autonomous scrubber on site, than to have deal with 3rd shift humans!

[@phreak074]

The himan would obviously do a wayy better job. this thing is all oved the place like a drunk janitor spraying water randomly and sporadically vacuuming random parts of the bathroom 😆

[@artus198]

I hope this takes off in a big way... bcoz I do not want human beings to clean toilets... It should be done by machines.

[@josephthering6035]

The problem here is that they designed it to mimic a human instead of designing a machine around the function/purpose.

[@charleswhite3553]

Andrew yang said automation will replace jobs

[@nessie1668]

It better replace jobs! I'm expected to do these manual labor when my janitors don't show up for work! And my pathetic boss expects me to fill in for them! No way! Robots better take over this job, this is year 2022! We're already supposed to be living in an automated, stress-free environment!!

[@ILIVEAGOODLIFE]

Doesn't look like it cleans. It sprays.

[@__-pl3jg]

Seems like the first step should be to remove all the trash people drop in the urinal that blocks the drain.

[@JackAdrianZappa]

Missed a stall.

[@alimax9728]

Nice but can it pick up trash, fix a clogged toilet, and clean dirty walls like I have seen in the nastiest public restrooms

[@julianharvey5045]

It just sprayed it didn't scrub anything that bathroom is still unsanitary.

[@Andrew-cf5md]

It's great idea and great device. Good luck guys!

[@carolinasimoes9940]

awesome 😍

[@suprememagnetic4850]

So there’s a guy setting this up and controlling him instead of him cleaning it ? Lmfaoooooo And the robot didn’t clean under and around the toilet, didn’t scrub inside the toilets or urinals, useless. It’s too big and a slow and lacks the scrubbing. A human still has to control and maintain this. And when it breaks down, then what? Someone ripped off the idiots that bought this. A high price tag for people too cheap to just hire a couple of guys, in the end, they end up wasting more money and the result is a dirty bathroom!

[@dtrain078]

No detail cleaning whatsoever.

[@fatmaaljoher6628]

I need one 😞for me

[@3450P]

Ха-ха, он просто не был в российских туалетах, где брызки человеческих отходов достигают потолка. Так что работа для меня всегда найдётся. 😎😎😎

[@AsloAso]

HA! Sorry but this is not cleaning. I dare you to run a black light over the area after this bot has supposedly “cleaned” the toilet rest room. Robots are really only great for floor cleaning at best they are far from the high motor skill of far more delicate cleaning tasks, such as cleaning the grout lines in between tiles, wiping down toilet stalls and doors, etc

[@abelbasi433]

Lo único que falta es uno que nos pasee al "Pichi".

[@BlackBerry651]

I will be out of a job 😩

[@ghostnights8538]

The best cleaners.

[@materialdefender3599]

I agree

[@xinwf2012]

Great, Hope to meet you again someday.

[@hconmaui]

This is going to make a huge mess and take more time then it saves. That’s from somebody with 41 years experience in the industry.

[@PaulMangione]

Soon there will not be any employees left - no need for a bathroom🙂

[@Samantha-yc8wh]

A lot of people's jobs will be replaced by robots , this is not good thing.

[@SaleCNC]

It's too big

[@gregkirby9059]

All i need to hire is a couple of engineers to fix and repair an army of cleaning and cooking robots. No need to hire hundreds of staff!

[@よヨ]

音楽がいい

[@emoney822]

Another job taker in the future

[@u4eahere530]

Music is obnoxious!

[@zerofckz6158]

My tias worse nightmare.

[@verdonv]

Oh great, another robot not paying income tax, so the rest of us can pay a little more.... and it does a crappy job to boot!

[@theatlantean8008]

Fcxx I am a cleaning franchisee wtf

[@Purple-Ivy-Kim]

This machine is expensive, cause I haven't seen it in hospital or hotel in the UK, it properly will get cheaper for manufacturer and sell it on then, cause human going to get more expensive to be paid. in the future people will have no jobs, every jobs will be robotic with smart A.I or just A.I programing them self, all meaning jobs be gone, My son said that even Doctor, accountants, chef.

[@Theistliecatcher]

I dont like these robots taking jobs but in this case, bravo, this job sucks

[@aleksandrs.4757]

Why? What is the point of this robot? Does it require work of an accuracy or speed unattainable by humans? Is it dangerous? Replacing a cheap and unskilled worker with an expensive machine that needs an experienced and expensive engineer to maintain and repair. Very efficient! :) A waste of efforts and resources.

[@jmo6722]

Total junk

[@_merkwurdigliebe]

It needs an attendant and someone to clean up after it....Great Job!!🦴