December 14, 2020

3 must-ask questions when considering robot floor scrubbers

1. Is it an integrated or interfaced autonomous solution?

When considering your options, you want to find an autonomous floor care solution that is built from the ground up to be a robot. Floor scrubbing robots built from the ground up are optimized for autonomous cleaning and sanitization. You won’t find a cup holder, steering wheel, seat or place to stand on Neo 2. Not only are they unnecessary, but they make the robot’s design less optimal, reducing your team's efficiency and return on investment.

Beware of the “bolt-on” modules that are retrofitted to manual cleaning machines to make them look like robots. These manual machines have been equipped with cameras and sensors to drive on their own. But with interfaced (or a bolt-on sensor module) machines, you end up with a product that was created and patched together by two companies: company A, who built the floor scrubber; and company B, who provided the computer software and hardware so that it can drive on its own.

This situation poses a huge problem. When something goes wrong, how do you get the required support? Who supplies that essential support?

With Neo, a fully integrated solution, Avidbots is your partner in clean. From the first point of contact through deployment, we're with you each step of the way offering unmatched support and service.

You can learn more about the deployment process here.

Neo is designed as a platform with accessories and add-ons that expand Neo’s capabilities beyond floor care. It’s the only autonomous solution in the marketplace that has been designed like this!

2. Can it clean in a dynamic, changing environment (with people and objects on the move)?

This is a very important question to ask when evaluating autonomous solutions. In the world of robotics, we call this planning methods.

We’ll start by highlighting that there are two very different planning methods companies are using. The first is the teach-and-repeat method. The second is dynamic planning and real-time obstacle avoidance. The differences are critical to understand if you hope to achieve a high level of performance.

Self-driving floor scrubbers typically operate using the teach-and-repeat principle, only knowing the routes an operator has taught them. This means they're prone to stoppages when environments change (ex. holiday display set up, seating area moved or items unexpectedly out of place). Once stuck, someone from your company must rescue the floor scrubber and re-teach it to the new environment/layout. What you’re left with is a machine that needs to be re-taught with each environmental change. It’s a time-consuming task that results in non-productive downtime.

On the other hand, Neo is a truly autonomous floor scrubbing robot powered by Avidbots Autonomy. Our proprietary AI software enables Neo to understand its operating environment and take action to maximize cleaning productivity while minimizing human intervention. Our industry-leading Avidbots Autonomy means Neo outshines the rest in true autonomous cleaning and sanitization. With advanced dynamic planning, Neo is able to avoid anyone or anything and stop when unexpected obstacles appear. When you press “go”, Neo will do just that — cleaning for up to 6 hours on a single charge.

You can learn more about path planning methods here.

3. How do I know what it cleaned and what it didn’t?

With an autonomous floor scrubbing solution like Neo, combined with Avidbots Command Center, you can take the guesswork out of your floor cleaning operations. Gone are the days of wondering what parts of your facility were cleaned and what areas were missed.

The Avidbots Command Center provides in-depth performance reporting to optimize your cleaning process. With our proprietary web-based software, you can manage one Neo, or an entire fleet of Neos, remotely and in real-time.

Avidbots Command Center lets you check in on Neo anytime, from anywhere. From your computer or web-enabled mobile device, you have the ability to view the online status and location of Neo at a high level or take a closer look at the cleaning progress with real-time video monitoring.

Finally, with Avidbots Command Center and Remote Assistance, Avidbots Experts are on standby for each cleaning operation to ensure Neo delivers an optimal clean. Should an issue occur, our experts can remotely assist the robot to get it back on track and resolve safety stops after completing a short investigation.

Neo, with Avidbots Command Center, is an unmatched autonomous floor care solution.

What’s next?

Using these three guiding questions, you can find the best autonomous floor care solution for your facility.

If you’d like to learn more about Neo, or potentially see it in action, please contact us today.

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