Robo-window cleaners in Dubai

The Gekko

When the Burj Khalifa was opened to much pomp and circumstance last month, a great number of press outlets picked up on the fact that clearly the windows of the world's tallest building would be a feat unto itself.

Figures were thrown around saying that a team of 36 cleaners would take three months to wash the 2,717-foot tower using 12 state-of-the-art machines that travel along tracks fixed to the building's exterior.

However, all that hard work put into designing a window-washing system for the super-skyscraper could be in vain, as Swiss company Serbot AG unveils their new robotic cleaning system specifically designed for windows and façades on high-rise buildings. And where better to show it off, than in Dubai?

The Great Gekko and CleanAnt

The robots, Gekko and CleanAnt, already have the advantage over their human counter parts as they are able to work at wind speeds that would prohibit manual cleaning for safety reasons. Not just that, but Bas Schmit Phiferons, Serbot business development manager, firmly believes in their excellent cleaning performance, constant availability and minimal operating costs which makes them an ideal window-cleaning system.

More importantly, they're faster than human cleaners.

Gekko, for example, has a cleaning capacity of up to 400 square metres an hour, which is 15 times faster than manual cleaning. It's rapid cleaning ability gives it, not only potential in the high-rise cleaning industry, but in the maintenance of solar panels and photovoltaic modules.

Removing leaves, pollen, sand and dust from entire fields of solar panels could see solar efficiency improve and eliminate the need for employees to carry out the dangerous task on the steep panels at night. Gekko instead uses vacuum power to attach itself to the surface to be cleaned, whether vertical, horizontal or slanted, and then uses a windshield-wiper type of brush to blast away any kind of dirt on the glass.

Speaking to Construction Week Online, Phiferons was positive about how his product would do in the UAE. "We are bringing this new technology to the UAE, where we have seen a lot of potential, especially with all the skyscrapers and the various architectural designs, which are very hard to clean using conventional methods," he said.

He also talked up the 'green credentials' of the robo-cleaners - "No detergent is needed for cleaning, which is an added environmental advantage. The robots can use dry ice, demineralised water or water with enzymes to eat away the oils. They also can filter and recycle the used material to minimise waste."

On paper, they sound fantastic... here's hoping they just don't try and take over the world. It's always the way with robots...

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