Airport Security Zrt. is testing our unique, in-house developed cleaning robot at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in an attempt to introduce higher quality automated cleaning regime. This week it launched its cutting edge cleaning robot called Integrated Cleaning Assistant, aka ICA.
As B+N Referencia Zrt. Deputy CEO Csaba Szij highlighted: ‘In the fall of 2018 after purchasing 100% ownership of Airport Security Zrt. we started the improvement of our services at the international airport. Thus we optimized the size of the cleaning, revised processes and will introduce a new quality control system in the near future. It is our mission that our international airport and airgate make a specifically good impression on passengers, and cleanliness is a big part of it. Our Research and Development department has been working on the in-house developed cleaning robot called Integrated Cleaning Assistant for 2 years, the prototype of which is currently being tested at the airport.’
The robotization of cleaning (like any other highly labour-intensive sector) is at the foreground of automation and Industry 4.0 worldwide, and B+N is joining the top notch with its latest development. What makes ICA special, beyond being a fully self-financed development, is that it was not developed by a company specializing in robotics, but by one that cleans and manages 5 million m2 of surface on a daily basis – this way having an in-depth insight into the expectations that may arise in terms of cleaning and a cleaning robot.
In a mere 2 years, ICA went from the design board to introduction, the present mass produced robots following the 2nd prototype were deployed at B+N customers back in the first quarter of 2019. Head of B+N Referencia Zrt.’s Research and Development Péter Zalka added, ‘During the development, our aim was not to completely replace human labour, but to support it, increase its efficiency and automation level. The cleaning robot is specifically suitable for the cleaning of large areas like airport terminals and hospital corridors. These are the areas which are the most monotonous to clean for the cleaners, therefore the automation of this process helps our cleaners focus more on quality work.’
The prototype of ICA can clean 1500 m2 in one shift and plans its route independently based on the preprogrammed site map. Automatically avoiding circumventing obstacles, ICA remembers missed areas and returns to them later. Thanks to the ongoing developments, the robot keeps a checklist of the work completed and a database on the areas cleaned and missed, which makes quality control automation possible.
Péter Huszka, Chief Operating Officer of Budapest Airport, said, ‘Based on the first impressions, passengers welcomed the “robot cleaner” with wonderment, since they could not meet anything like it before at any other airport.’
Source: portfolio.hu