Robot Toilet Cleaner Rides Up Elevators To ‘Do The Dirty’ On Its Own

As artificial intelligence revolutionizes the world, many corporations have adopted a variety of robots to boost productivity. Recently, Chipotle unveiled ‘Autocado,’ a machine specifically made to help peel, core, and cut avocadoes for guacamole.

Now, there’s another autonomous service on the scene—and this time, it’s in charge of doing the dirty. Instead of working in the kitchen, this android was built by New York-based Somatic to help keep office toilets clean, starting from US$1,000 per month.

Naturally, when it comes to devices, the word “autonomous” bears many meanings. Some require human oversight, while others can whisk off and complete tasks all on their own. The toilet-cleaning bot is in the latter category, boasting the ability to navigate complex building layouts.

In fact, according to a video released by the firm, it appears the machine can traverse different stories of a high-rise building by riding the elevators without assistance, making its way through the series of cubicles on each level to reach the washrooms and carry out its tasks.

Upon reaching a bathroom, the robot automatically begins to mop the floors, disinfect urinals, sanitize surfaces, and even eliminate offensive odors stemming from mold and mildew.

Surprisingly, it appears the device knows exactly where to spray and wipe down, as if it’s familiar with the layout of the room. This is because it’s first trained on a virtual reality (VR) simulation of the site, before making use of sensors—including LiDAR—while on the job.

However, in the case of unusual spills or messes it doesn’t know how to clean up, the bot will snap a picture and send it to the human in charge of the operation, who will then appoint janitorial staff to attend to the situation.

[via Interesting Engineering and TechEBlog, images via Somatic]