October 16, 2018

Skyline Robotics raises $3M to automate dangerous window cleaning for skyscrapers

Got news? Next submission deadline is Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Let’s admit it, we all wish we could outsource the task of cleaning, and if we had to choose one of the worst chores of all time it would be window cleaning. That’s why we have robots!

Robots are poised to disrupt every single industry, starting with more workers being replaced from assembly line factories by industrial robots. Next, self-driving cars have already logged nearly two million miles on public roads, and soon robots will mix our margaritas at our favorite bars, collect our garbage, and stock supermarket isles more efficiently. They will also look after our elderly. But getting humans out of harm’s way when they do dangerous work is still considered “unsexy”. Now a pair of Israeli entrepreneurs Avi Abadi and Yaron Schwarcz have raised $3M to automate the risky job of cleaning windows on skyscrapers. “As a society we’ve become too comfortable watching people hanging off the sides of 30-story buildings,” says Schwarcz, CEO of Skyline Robotics. “No salary could justify allowing people to strap themselves into metal scaffolds and put their lives in the hands of a system of ropes and harnesses.”

Skyline Robotics’ solution is Ozmo, a robot for real estate maintenance at heights utilizing computer vision and machine learning to adapt to the complex geometry of skyscrapers to create the most effective cleaning path. To research the job of manually cleaning windows at height, both co-founders got certified to work at heights, were hired by an Israeli cleaning company, and worked as window washers for a couple of weeks before founding Skyline Robotics in 2017. Ozmo uses distilled water as its only cleaning supply, liberating building owners from the burden of purchasing or installing additional equipment. While the traditional solution involves three cleaners working about 480 hours in the air each to clean an average 40- story building, Ozmo is expected to expedite the process by 18 times, cleaning the same building in just one week and with only one operator standing safely on the ground. “ Ozmo is not just a window cleaner, but a full-scale operating system for real estate maintenance ” Schwarcz adds.

Keep reading on Forbes.com

Watch our video and learn more about the benefits of joining Construction Links Network – the peer-to-peer network sharing platform for the construction, building and design community.

Tweet Share LinkedIn

Submit YOUR Content ❯