According to the article “How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch”, written by GERMii (2021), cleaning robots that are equipped with Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology are a revolution in the cleaning industry. The pandemic has significantly impacted the world, changing their attention to cleaning and sterilizing. As the requirement for cleanliness is increasing, robots complement the cleaners by accomplishing monotonous roles, while the cleaners can prioritize sterilizing “high-touch, high-risk or difficult-to-clean areas” (GERMii, 2021, Robots can complement cleaning staff section, para. 4). At the same time, organizations need to teach their staff to operate the robots and use data from the robots to optimize cleaning operations. With Covid-19 causing the demand for cleaners to fluctuate, organizations can send their cleaners for training and upskilling when the demand is low. This article's emphasis on cleanliness also leads to over-cleaning and excessive usage of chemicals, potentially causing an impact on health, cost, and the environment. Organizations need to inform and instruct their cleaners on mitigating these risks. The article also wrote about SoftBank Robotics’ floorcare cleaning robot, Whiz, which uses UV-C to disinfect surfaces, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals. Cleaning robots are now equipped with the newest technology and are a revolution in the cleaning industry. As technology advances, investing in technologies for cleaning robots will benefit many of the industry as it provides efficiency and cleaning capability, especially with the prominence of sanitation being in the spotlight.
One of the benefits of having
cleaning robots is their cost of efficiency in the long run and their long
operating hours and with the help of technology, this would ensure the
cleanliness of the area with minimum supervision. A cleaning robot can help with your task lists like covering the
cleaning tasks that need to be performed most frequently, such as vacuuming and
disinfecting surfaces (Flynn, 2022). Robotic floor cleaning has emerged as
a valuable use case to help healthcare and other organizations to achieve
consistent cleanliness and operational efficiency. Robotic floor scrubbers
directly address the demand-supply imbalance created by increasing cleaning
demand and a limited workforce. Working collaboratively with employees, and
cleaning robots like the unit operated by Brain Corp which make supervisory
teams more efficient and effective (Baylin, 2020).
Today's advanced models often incorporate autonomous
mapping technology that can accurately reconstruct the floor plan. Most
cleaning robots come with an app that lets you program a specific route on your
floor plan for the robot to follow. So, it can be programmed to run at a
specific time each day to clean the specific areas that need cleaning most
often (Flynn, 2022.). With that robots are more flexible and cost-efficient
compared to manpower because cleaning work can be programmed to run at any
specific time.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the industries
that required most cleaning and sanitizing is the healthcare industry, as it plays
an important role in keeping the virus off the street. The flow of people in
and out of buildings poses risks to staff, caregivers, and the public. Therefore,
with the technology of the cleaning robots as it can be programmed and set cleaning
tasks to be automated which is more flexible (NCSS, 2020), this would greatly
increase efficiency and it will be more convenient as it’s flexible and able to
operate at odd hours. Hence, this offer the use of machines to improve human
skills without the need for manual human intervention. This would greatly
increase cleaning efficiency and cost efficiency in the long run.
Despite the potential factors of having cleaning
robots, things like robots have limited mobility (GERMii,2021) as some of the ground is uneven so robots are
unable to reach and therefore unable to clean, but overall it increases
efficiency in another area. Hence, this will cause fewer job opportunities for
the people which will increase the unemployment rate (Holzer (2022). However,
in Singapore, the government is trying to provide more upgrading training
through skill-future, allowing people to have more job opportunities
(SkillFuture Singapore, n.d ). Overall, the research shows that with the
introduction of cleaning robots not only benefits the public but also specially
to the healthcare industry, with the high-quality patient care, effective
clinical procedures, and a safe working environment for patients and healthcare
professionals are all made possible by using robots in the medical field (Intel,
n.d ).
In conclusion, as technology advances, we will be
exposed to a more advanced method that might have a more efficient way of
ensuring cleanliness in all industries. Despite all the negative impacts like
robot features and the increase in the unemployment rate. Cleaning robots
are still very efficient as they can be programmed to do multiple tasks. Hence,
robots with cleaning and sanitizing capabilities are in high demand by many
sectors as it is cost-efficient and the long-term benefits. With the help
of cleaning robots, this will greatly boost the industry's cleanliness and
efficiency in terms of manpower issues and cost efficiency.
References
GERMii (2021). Govinsider. How tech can ease the cleaning
industry’s manpower crunch.
Baylin (2022). How robots improve cleaning performance in
healthcare facilities. https://braincorp.com/blog/how-robots-improve-cleaning-performance-in-healthcare-facilities/
Flynn (2022). Are cleaning robots effective? RobotLAB Group
- Robotics Solution Integrator. https://www.robotlab.com/cleaning-robots/blog/are-cleaning-robots-effective#:~:text=Cleaning%20robots%20are%20most%20effective,or%20any%20other%20cleaning%20task.
Flynn (2022). Are cleaning robots effective? RobotLAB
Group - Robotics Solution Integrator. https://www.robotlab.com/cleaning-robots/blog/are-cleaning-robots-effective
NCSS (2020). Smart Cleaning Robots.
https://www.ncss.gov.sg/press-room/publications/detail-page/smart-cleaning-robots
(Holzer, 2022). Understanding the impact of automation on
workers, jobs, and wages.
Skillsfuture credit. SSG(2022). SkillsFuture Credit.
Marr (2022). Developing the most in-demand skills for the
future of work. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/06/15/developing-the-most-in-demand-skills-for-the-future-of-work/?sh=3f1f1ca1b977
Defi, es. al (2022). Healthcare Workers' point of view on
medical robotics during COVID-19 pandemic - A scoping review. International
journal of general medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8995177/
Intel (n.d). Robots in the medical field are transforming how
surgeries are performed, streamlining supply delivery and
disinfection. Robotics in Healthcare: The Future of Robots in
medicine. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/healthcare-it/robotics-in-healthcare.html#:~:text=High%2DQuality%20Patient%20Care,social%20engagement%20for%20elderly%20patients.
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