An interesting cleanliness sensor can enrich automatic cleaning robots

Researchers at Singapore University of Technology and Design can provide robotic cleaners with a special module. Thanks to it, they will be able to verify their effectiveness and see if it’s time to clean the floor. Everything happens automatically, which saves even more time and reduces energy consumption.

Cleaning robots would benefit from a cleanliness sensor

Work is currently underway on a module based on a roll of white adhesive tape and a set of motors and rollers. The operation of the system on the mechanical side is simple – the adhesive side of the tape is simply pressed against the surface and collects any dirt. This is when the module system itself comes into play, which by comparing a clean piece of tape to that “after sticking” is able to recognize the dirt accumulated on it.

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Thanks to this, the automatic cleaning robot can clean a given area many times, until it reaches a satisfactory level on a scale from 0 to 100. This not only ensures that the surfaces will always be clean, but also saves energy and the robot itself, which when leaving the station within the set schedule , it may unnecessarily clean clean areas of the apartment.

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The problem is that this type of module is prone to erroneous readings due to surface changes, or the inability to accurately inspect the condition on e.g. tiles with a rough texture. Scientists therefore still have a lot of problems to work around, but they are ambitious, as they even want to provide the module with the ability to assess microbial density as well as identify specific areas of the floor with different levels of soiling.