If you are one of our honored clients, you might notice our cleaning professionals use a new automated commercial vacuum cleaning system. It’s called the Whiz, and we are so excited about it we want to tell you more about it.
SoftBank Robotics developed and launched the Whiz, a commercial robot vacuum, in late 2018. Based in Tokyo, Japan, with offices in the U.S. and around the globe, the firm manufactures super-smart robots that can be used for various purposes. This includes what has been described as the world’s first “robot with emotion.”
Named Pepper, this is an assistant able to recognize faces, detect different human emotions, and inform and entertain people. Some banks are now using Pepper to greet people in their locations and answer specific questions such as “Who do I see around here to get a loan?”
Airports are also putting Pepper to work, greeting travelers and, once again, answering questions and providing directions.
Pepper is designed to put a smile on many faces. The Whiz, on the other hand, is all about effective, powerful, and thorough vacuum cleaning that does not require a cleaning worker.
That means cleaning workers are free to tackle other important duties such as cleaning, disinfecting, and infection control, all of which are needed more now than ever due to the pandemic.
Here are some more exciting facts we would like to share about the Whiz:
- Whereas a traditional vacuum cleaner can only clean about 50 percent of the floor space in a commercial facility, the Whiz can clean nearly 100 percent. This means one machine for more vacuuming tasks, a cost and labor savings, for you and for us.
- When we vacuum, most of us waste time because we re-vacuum the same areas repeatedly. Although this can help ensure surfaces are cleaned effectively, it increases cleaning times and labor. With the Whiz, floor areas are cleaned thoroughly the first time, again a time and cost savings for you and for us.
- With its increased efficiency, the Whiz can vacuum the same space in almost half the time of a traditional, manually operated vacuum cleaner.
That’s why the new system makes so much business sense. But the Whiz has even more cool features you should know about:
- The machine has a HEPA filter that captures 99.97 percent of particles of 0.3 microns. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air and is the most effective filtering system now available for vacuum cleaners. A particle that is 0.3 microns is smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. This means the Whiz can help vacuum up pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, and keep them from being released into the air.
- The Whiz uses navigation software to find its way around. The machine may need to be taught a few things initially, but after that, it knows the ropes. This is why the Whiz is referred to as “data-driven” cleaning. It learns to deliver accurate vacuuming and can navigate around people, desks, furniture, and other items commonly found in commercial facilities.
- The Whiz is an IoT (Internet of Things) system. This allows cleaning professionals to share information with the system, such as instructions about where to clean, and the machine can report back with real-time alerts—for instance, letting our staff know when it has completed its work.
Oh, and did we mention it is battery operated? While battery-powered vacuum cleaners are available—and in use by Service Keepers custodial workers—most cleaning professionals still use cord-powered vacuum cleaners. The problem is that these can limit distances cleaned, require the worker to stop, unplug, and then re-plug the machine, and the cord can be a safety hazard. The Whiz eliminates all these issues.
We think you will be really impressed with the Whiz. Our cleaning workers love it and so will your floors. And with COVID, it’s just one more tool in our arsenal to help keep you and building users healthy.
Interested in learning more? Please get in touch today. We’re Service Keepers and we’re here for you.
