TECHNOLOGY & DATA
The data debate
Most technological cleaning and hygiene solutions operate by collecting data from the facility to be cleaned. So, is a trade-off between privacy and efficacy inevitable when using a high-tech solution? Stuart Hands from Tork manufacturer Essity discusses the issue.
It seems almost too good to be true. A number of New York residents are currently having their apartments cleaned free of charge, courtesy of artificial intelligence (AI) company Micro AGI.
The cleaners themselves come equipped with ‘camera caps’ filming every action. The data collected is intended to provide valuable insights into apartment layouts which will help to train the next generation of cleaning robots.
It makes perfect sense for individual flats and residences to be mapped out to allow future robots to clean them more efficiently. However, detractors claim this to be a straight swap between private data and free cleaning services.
It can be hard to strike a balance between privacy and efficacy as far as cleaning technology is concerned. Automatic floor cleaners are becoming a commonplace sight, both in the home and in large, public facilities such as airports and stores. These produce live video feeds while also generating internal mapping data, allowing robots to move around a facility without bumping into obstacles while also ensuring that no areas are missed during cleaning.
However, when combined with other data such as the device’s IP address, network and location, this information could become invaluable to thieves. For example, access to a live video feed in a bank or other financial institution would potentially give criminals insights into employees’ daily practices and provide details of where the money is being kept and when it is likely to be moved.
38 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING
Earlier this year it emerged that a software engineer inadvertently found himself to be in control of around 7,000 robot vacuum machines from his home in Spain due to a software glitch. Sammy Azdoufal was attempting to link his own vacuum to a PlayStation 5 for fun, using a makeshift remote control app. The app then began communicating with the manufacturer’s servers which meant Azdoufal was able to read messages, access live camera feeds and estimate the machine’s locations.
This type of data would have been highly useful if it fell into the wrong hands. Luckily, Azdoufal was honest and he immediately reported the issue to the manufacturer. The issue further highlighted the potential security risks associated with robot cleaning machines.
Another security breach occurred in 2024 when criminals hacked into various Ecovacs robots in multiple US states. People were carrying out their daily activities at home when their robot vacuum cleaners suddenly appeared to turn on them.
Some shouted random obscenities while other issued racial slurs. One robot even went rogue and began chasing the family dog around the house. Security flaws were later identified with the model in question, including a Bluetooth connector glitch that allowed third parties to access the machine from more than 100m away.
Vulnerabilities have also been associated with ‘smart’ washrooms. Some toilets such as Throne Labs in the US can only be accessed via a QR code, for example, and users
x.com/TomoCleaning
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