Mubasher: India-based startup WCB Robotics has revealed plans that it would launch its cost-saving cleanup Elmo Robot later this year.
The robotics firm said its robot could clean skyscraper façades faster than a team of window washers, indicating that it was planning to launch those robots during the fourth quarter of 2019, with the UAE likely to get one for its Burj Khalifa.
Elmo could clean Burj Khalifa in 10 days, WCB Robotics founder Ujjawal Aggarwal told Construction Week Online, noting that his company began working on this project in 2015.
“We are currently optimising the cleaning system in our robot along with optimising [its] ability to go over window frames and obstacles,” the Indian official explained.
Elmo is set to work with a 'proprietary' suction technology that will allow it to move over curved or irregular façades, in addition to a water-based cleaning system to remove dust and sand.
"Only one Elmo can do this in a mere 10 days,” Brian Patterson, an investor at WCB Robotics said, noting that each cleaning cycle for the UAE’s Burj Khalifa costs around $150,000 to $300,000 (AED 550,000 to AED 1.1 million).
Using an Elmo would only cost $8,000 (AED 29,000) per cleaning cycle, he concluded.
With the launch scheduled for later in 2019, it is expected that building owners, especially in the UAE, where towers are frequent, would be able to trim down significantly on costs.
