Dubai Festival City Mall tests robotic cleaning technology

The Dubai-based Transguard Group is working with an American firm called Sealed Air on trials for cleaning robots at the Dubai Festival City Mall.

Sealed Air produces three different types of cleaning robots in the Diversey Care product family, which are called ‘Intellibots.’

Each robotic machine is designed for a different type of floor and environment. The robot on trial at Dubai Festival City Mall is the Hands-Free Cleaning HydroBot Scrubber.

The Hands-Free Cleaning Hydrobot Scrubber is specifically intended for hard floors and designed with retail environments, such as indoor shopping malls, in mind.

“The versatile HydroBot allows the operator to switch between manual cleaning and Hands-Free Cleaning, so at the push of a button the operator can walk away to clean in other areas while the floor is being cleaned and the quality of cleaning is also consistent,” Transguard’s Charlotte Butt said.

The Hands-Free Cleaning system incorporates 19 sensors, which give the robot a 360-degree view of an area. That allows it to operate and clean on its own. Navigational sensors detect obstacles and people, causing the robot to stop and let them pass before continuing to clean.

“Supervisors can also monitor progress at any stage and receive wireless ‘end of shift’ report, including the location of the robot, operator identity, running times and the specific areas cleaned,” Butt said.