TECHNOLOGY & AI CLEANING:HIGHER-TECH THAN EVER
Lee Radzki from Tork manufacturer Essity, looks at some of the latest high-tech advances in the cleaning and hygiene sector - and considers what is already working on the technology front.
A robot with a folding arm capable of picking up socks, tissues and sandals was launched at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January.
Powered by artificial intelligence, the Saros Z70 from Roborock is due to be released to global markets during the first half of the year.
At the same show, Tineco unveiled its Pure One Station 5 smart vacuum cleaner said to enable automatic self- cleaning, self-charging and storage in one step.
In late 2024, Throne Science announced the launch of a camera that clips on to a toilet bowl and uses AI to analyse the user’s gut health. The company describes it as a cost-effective, non-invasive way of monitoring waste and argues that tracking one’s gut health should become as common as tracking steps.
These are just three of the latest technological breakthroughs in cleaning and hygiene – an industry that is becoming increasingly sophisticated due to the continuous development of sensors, AI and the internet of things.
Cleaning robots – which first entered the market in the 1990s – have developed exponentially over recent years. Early models were prone to collisions and tended to neglect nooks and corners. However, today’s machines are capable of carrying out a thorough clean before returning to their own recharging station.
They operate as a fleet, communicating with one another to ensure that every area of the floor is covered and that no cleaning path is repeated. By working to a mapped path they will automatically adjust their parameters to enable them to operate on different surfaces.
Sensors and cameras are increasingly being used to track people’s movements and direct cleaning efforts to those rooms and washroom cubicles with the highest traffic.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is being used to allow cleaning machines to adapt to different types of surfaces and analyse stains so that they can deliver the optimal amount of cleaning agents, water and energy. These products are able to improve cleaning efficiency, quality and safety and reduce environmental impact and operational costs.
However, there are many other ways in which technology is quietly improving cleaning efficiencies without grabbing the headlines. For example, chemical dosing systems are increasingly going high-tech to avoid under or over-dosing and prevent mix-ups. Data on filling levels, consumption and service requirements can then be viewed via an app to allow managers to plan more efficiently and source refills as and when these are needed.
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Air freshening systems are also becoming smarter, allowing facility managers to adjust fragrancing levels in public spaces remotely via their smartphones.
And dispensers that connect the cleaner or facility manager to the washroom are increasingly helping to ensure that washroom soap and paper supplies are never allowed to run out. Sensors incorporated into washroom dispensers allow cleaners to check remotely on supplies of soap, toilet paper and hand towels. This removes the need for staff to make multiple journeys to physically check on dispenser status, saving time and freeing up resources.
Essity’s own Tork Vision Cleaning allows cleaners to monitor dispensers via a smartphone or tablet, while people-counters allow a facility to build up a profile of traffic. This data can then be used to identify those areas attracting the highest levels of traffic which means the cleaner’s work can be prioritised accordingly.
Tork Vision Cleaning helps cleaners to stay ahead of the game, topping up dispensers at their own convenience. This helps them to optimise their cleaning rounds while also avoiding the risk of run-outs of soap and paper. And the data collected from the software enables cleaners to anticipate those situations when enhanced cleaning or extra checks might be required. According to Essity research, companies can cut cleaning hours by 20% when they implement Tork Vision Cleaning while also reducing the number of dispenser checks by 91%.
Technology is also being used to provide interactive courses for cleaners and hand hygiene training for healthcare staff. For example, Essity’s Tork Interactive Clean Hospital Training - an interactive training and support package – takes healthcare cleaners and facility managers through various real-world cleaning scenarios in an engaging way.
The training takes place in a virtual hospital and incorporates modules on daily cleaning in occupied patient rooms plus discharge cleaning protocols.
Essity’s Tork Clean Hands Training module invites users into a digital world where they are confronted with a series of scenarios where hand hygiene needs to be carried out. Developed in collaboration with behavioural scientists and hand hygiene experts, the training aims to provide hand hygiene guidance in an engaging way.
Trainees take on the role of a nurse or doctor in a hospital unit where they are tasked with caring for several patients. Their results are then assessed on how far they comply with the World Health Organization’s My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. Tork Clean Hands Training is
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