Summary Reader Response Draft 1: Cleaning Robot

The article, "How tech can ease the cleaning industry's manpower crunch" by Germi (2021) discusses how the integration of technology can solve the manpower shortage in the cleaning industry.

With an increase in the demand for cleanliness in the past 3 years due to covid-19, people have become much more wary and concerned about hygiene and cleanliness. The author's summary shares how we can incorporate robots and the existing workforce to create a more efficient and cleaner space for everyone.

According to the author, the aim of implementing robots is not to replace cleaning staff,  While the robots are doing more menial tasks such as mopping, sweeping, picking up, and getting rid of thrash, cleaning staff can dedicate their time to disinfecting services which are highly sought after during the pandemic.

The author mentions that companies can embrace the transformation with the integration of man and machine in the workforce. To ensure that both robots and humans can coexist harmoniously in the workforce, companies are spending money to upskill their workers by sending them to courses to teach them how to operate and deploy the robots safely and efficiently. Apart from learning how to automate these robots, they can also attend lessons and be deployed to more customer-centric jobs within the organization.

The article, "3 ways Humans and commercial cleaning robots work in the new normal" by Softbank robotics (2020) deliberates on the part that cleaning robots play in the future of commercial cleaning.

How can the development of technology be integrated into the cleaning industry in a way that does not affect the livelihood of the cleaning staff? The rise of technology has led to the uncertainty of jobs in all industries.

With covid 19 cases becoming lesser and countries starting to be more lenient on restrictions, there has been an increase in people patronizing public spaces. However, it is of paramount importance that cleaning measures and processes are upheld and improved to keep the transmission of diseases at bay. To uphold these key targets, processes in the cleaning industry should strive to be as efficient as possible by integrating robots into the workforce to complement the cleaning staff.

According to the author, robots can be tasked with labour-intensive and mundane tasks such as sweeping and vacuuming to name a few, which are essential services required to uphold clean standards. While the cleaning robots are tasked with these jobs, cleaning staff can be assigned to more detailed oriented and precise jobs like a deep cleaning of commonly used areas. According to Davids (2022), robots are better at repetitive tasks as compared to humans. This is because, unlike humans, robots can repeat tasks without growing tired and without compromising on productivity after a long period of time. This is evident from the use of automation robots by many manufacturing companies in the production of parts for the masses. According to Coor (2023), robots are effective in mundane tasks like vacuuming. This is evident from the figure that supports this statement in suggesting that air quality rose by 24% when using cleaning robots as compared to manual vacuuming by cleaning staff. This supports the previous article in suggesting that by deploying cleaning robots, the cleaning staff are able to dedicate their time to more meticulous tasks which require a bit more care and attention.

In addition, by having mundane tasks handled by robots and having some free time, cleaning staff can spend their time upskilling themselves to explore opportunities to move into supervisory roles, regardless of their educational background.  (Arlen, n.d)

Next, by deploying vacuuming and sweeping tasks to robots, cleaning staff move around lesser which reduces human contact and the intermingling of workers. This helps to curb the transmission of diseases.  Not only does this help with keeping the space and atmosphere clean, but it also helps keep the staff safe and healthy by getting rid of pollutants that could potentially cause staff to fall ill. By keeping the environment free of pollutants and germs, the cleaners and workers have an additional layer of protection when it comes to diseases.

However, the downside of cleaning is the usage of chemicals and ‘over cleaning’. People could face health problems by the usage or mixing of different cleaning agents and chemicals, which may lead to unexpected side effects and respiratory effects. A solution to this problem is to introduce the usage of UV lights to kill bacteria so that the cleaning staff who work closely with the robots are not affected.

In conclusion, the implementation of robots can be essential in the cleaning industry if it does not take up the jobs of the cleaning staff. If companies can find a way to seamlessly integrate the functions of both jobs

 

 

References:

- https://us.softbankrobotics.com/blog/3-ways-humans-and-robots-collaborate-in-commercial-cleanings-new-normal

- https://blog.robotiq.com/5-ways-robots-perform-mundane-tasks-better-than-humans

- https://www.coor.com/what-we-do/cleaning/rise-of-robots-in-the-cleaning-industry/

- https://www.revenue-iq.com/2019/10/the-invasion-of-the-cleaning-robots-is-here-resistance-is-futile/