Summary Reader Response Final Draft 4

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, 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, cleaning robots will benefit the sanitation industry by providing lower cost, cleaning efficiency, and cleaning capabilities, especially with the prominence of sanitation being in the spotlight.

One benefit of using cleaning robots is their cost and efficiency ratio in long operating hours. A cleaning robot can help with covering the cleaning tasks that need to be performed most frequently, such as vacuuming and disinfecting surface (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 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 which will benefit in cleaning efficiency. Most cleaning robots come with an app that allows the user to choose a specific route for the robot to follow. It can be programmed to run at a specific time of the day to clean a specific area that need cleaning most often (Flynn, 2022). With robots being more flexible and cost-effective compared to the norm of using manpower, cleaning work can be programmed to run at any time of the day.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the industries that required the 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. With the technology of the cleaning robots, the robots can be programmed and made to be automated which will be more flexible (NCSS, 2020). Automation of the cleaning robots will allow an increase in efficiency and will be more convenient for users to be able to operate it at odd hours. Hence, cleaning robots can do most of the redundant cleaning without the need for manual human intervention. This would greatly increase cleaning efficiency and reduce the cost in the long run.

Despite the advantages that cleaning robots can provide, robots have limited mobility (GERMii, 2021) as some places are unreachable for the cleaning robots. Having cleaning robots may replace people, which could potentially increase the unemployment rate (Holzer, H., 2022). However, the Singaporean government has been attempting to provide upgrading training through SkillFuture, which allows people to have more job opportunities (SkillFuture Singapore, n.d.). Research does show that by introducing cleaning robots not only benefits the public but will also provide support to the healthcare industry. This is because robots provide the industry, with support for high-quality patient care, effective clinical procedures, and safe environments for patients and healthcare professionals in the medical field (Intel, n.d.).

In conclusion, as technology advances, humans will be more likely to exposed to advanced methods of cleaning that might provide more efficient ways of ensuring cleanliness in all industries. Robots with sanitization capabilities will be highly demanded by many industries in the long run, cleaning robots are cost-efficient. With technology being in the limelight, cleaning robots will greatly boost the industries’ needs for cleanliness and efficiency in terms of manpower issues and cost-efficiency.

 

References

 

Baylin. (2022). How robots improve cleaning performance in healthcare facilities. https://braincorp.com/blog/how-robots-improve-cleaning-performance-in-healthcare-facilities/

 

Defi, I., Iskandar, S., Charismawati, S., Turnip, A., & Novita, D. (2022). Healthcare Workers' point of view on medical robotics during COVID-19 pandemic - A scoping review. International journal of general medicine. National Library of Medicine US.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8995177/

 

Flynn. (2022). Are cleaning robots effective? RobotLAB Group - Robotics Solution Integrator. Robotlab.

https://www.robotlab.com/cleaning-robots/blog/are-cleaning-robots-effective

 

GERMii. (2021). How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch. Govinsider.

https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/article/how-tech-can-ease-the-cleaning-industrys-manpower-crunch-robots-germii

 

Holzer, H. (2022). Understanding the impact of automation on workers, jobs, and wages. Brookings.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2022/01/19/understanding-the-impact-of-automation-on-workers-jobs-and-wages/#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20digital%20automation%20since%20the,for%20highly%20educated%20analytical%20workers

 

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. Intel.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/healthcare-it/robotics-in-healthcare.html#:~:text=High%2DQuality%20Patient%20Care,social%20engagement%20for%20elderly%20patients

 

Marr, B. (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

 

NCSS. (2020). Smart Cleaning Robots. NCSS.

https://www.ncss.gov.sg/press-room/publications/detail-page/smart-cleaning-robots

 

Skillsfuture SG. (2022). SkillsFuture Credit. Skillsfuture SG.

https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/credit#:~:text=SkillsFuture%20Credit%20aims%20to%20encourage,opening%20credit%20of%20S%2450