MODEX 2026: Tennant Company unveils X16 SWEEP for autonomous industrial sweeping

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Floor-cleaning vehicle provider Tennant Company announced the launch of the X16 SWEEP, which the company said is the first autonomous, robotic sweeper engineered for complex industrial environments such as warehousing, logistics centers and light manufacturing operations by a major cleaning brand.

Built to meet rising expectations for industrial automation, Tennant said that the X16 SWEEP delivers consistent, repeatable floor-cleaning coverage that facilities can rely on to support dependable operations.

X16 SWEEP powered by Brain Corp’s autonomy platform

Powered by Brain Corp’s autonomy platform, BrainOS, Tennant said that the X16 SWEEP delivers a new standard in autonomous cleaning for industrial spaces. Integrating the advanced AI autonomy, visual intelligence and workflow-aware automation capabilities of the latest BrainOS software, the company said that the X16 SWEEP features SelfPath AI to dynamically generate and optimize its own cleaning paths, and the ability to intelligently recognize and adapt cleaning behavior in real time.

Tennant said that these features avoid problem debris, while providing more consistent coverage, productivity and performance with every clean.

Brain Corp and Tennant Company announced an exclusive technology agreement in early 2024.

“Industrial leaders want enterprise-grade autonomy that’s easy to roll out, dependable day after day, and built for the realities of their busy spaces,” said Mark Garczewski, chief product officer at Brain Corp. “We're proud to accelerate Tennant's vision for solving real customer problems at scale. By pairing Tennant’s industrial-grade design with the BrainOS autonomy platform, the X16 SWEEP is the latest way we are helping enterprises deploy AI in the real world for more productive and reliable operations.”

Tennant Company’s autonomous robotics group

Earlier this year, Tennant Company said that it established a dedicated autonomous robotics organization designed to accelerate the adoption and scaling of its robotic cleaning technologies. The company said that this new group unifies expertise across product design and engineering, production, commercial strategy, marketing, business development and customer support, creating an integrated team focused on advancing Tennant’s autonomous product roadmap, expanding production capacity and supporting customers throughout deployment and ongoing operation.

The X16 SWEEP is the first product introduced through this new organization, which Tennant said marks a significant milestone as the company strengthens its leadership and long-term investment in autonomous cleaning technologies.

“Industrial customers are making more deliberate investments in automation as a core operational necessity,” said Pat Schottler, senior vice president, robotics, at Tennant Company. “We launched Tennant Company Robotics with a focus on advancing cleaning automation for those environments. The X16 SWEEP is the first of many products we’re bringing to market through Tennant Company Robotics, giving facilities a faster path to reliable autonomous cleaning that can keep pace with changing industrial conditions.”

Tennant highlighted the following X16 SWEEP features: 

• High-capacity autonomous sweeping in dynamic environments: The DustShield system actively contains debris and dust during sweeping through purpose-built skirting. This system is designed to prevent dust from reaching the 2D planar lidars, helping the X16 SWEEP stay productive in dusty environments.
• Maximized cleaning uptime: The Tennant Smart-Sense hopper indicator reduces guesswork and unnecessary downtime by alerting operators when the debris hopper is full, helping maintain more consistent cleaning cycles.
• Support of continuous workflows: With the optional Tennant X16 CHRG Dock, the machine autonomously recharges between cleaning cycles, reducing the need for manual intervention, minimizing downtime and supporting continuous, multi‑shift cleaning operations.
• Enhanced cleaning efficiency and navigation: With the X16 SWEEP’s Visual Intelligence, the machine is designed to precisely adapt to dynamic environments, avoid problematic debris and optimize cleaning performance.

Tennant Company said it plans to make another announcement at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta. The company’s booth will feature a display of its robotic cleaning portfolio.