Skyline Robotics today announced that it has partnered with Principle Cleaning Services to bring its award-winning Ozmo cleaning robot to London. The companies said they plan to go beyond cleaning to provide data, insights, and analytics on the health of building facades.
Skyline said in a release that it and Principle's ultimate goal is to deliver environmental, social, and governance (ESG) monitoring to building envelopes in London.
“Having demonstrated Ozmo’s value in New York City, we’re excited to expand operations and partner with Principle to bring our robots to London,” said Michael Brown, CEO of Skyline Robotics. “London has more BMUs [building maintenance units] than the rest of Europe combined, making it a key global geographic location to showcase the impact automation can have to help achieve business growth.”
Skyline Robotics automates work at heights
New York-based Skyline Robotics said its flagship product, Ozmo, combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision with advanced robotics and sensors. It said the robot can clean windows up to three times faster than humans without putting workers at risk.
The company claimed that Ozmo is “the world’s first high-rise window cleaning robot ... disrupting the $40B window cleaning industry as a safer, more efficient, and more effective alternative to humans.” It added that it hopes to automate all types of work at heights.
In addition, since people are still needed to operate Ozmo, the robot is not replacing window cleaners but accelerating a future in which humans and robots work together, said Skyline. The startup obtained its first patent for Ozmo in May and raised $3.35 million in funding in August.
Skyline has received a 2023 PropTech Breakthrough Award for “Construction Robotics Solution of the Year and was named to the 2023 BuiltWorlds Robotics 50 List. The startup has also received a 2023 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award.
Principle Cleaning Services
Founded in 1989, Principle Cleaning Services said it is a market leader in providing corporate, commercial cleaning in London. Its clients include well-known landmarks such as The Shard, 20 Fenchurch Street, and 30 St Mary Axe, and it provides indoor and outdoor cleaning robots.
The employee-owned company said it has an annual turnover of more than £80 million ($97.3 million U.S.) and employs over 2,500 people. Principle will be the exclusive provider of Ozmo in London. It said it is planning an operational rollout for that market, “transforming Principle’s window cleaning offering.”
“Principle is committed to investing in a future where humans and robots work collaboratively together,” said Tom Lloyd, CEO of Principle Cleaning Services. “Through this partnership with Skyline Robotics, we’re securing all future capabilities to service customers for decades to come.”
“Our clients always expect us to deliver new value and innovations to them as leading asset managers in our market,” he added. “Our pillars are 'people, sustainability, and innovation,' and with Ozmo, we feel we’re not just meeting, but [also] exceeding expectations.”
The global market for window-cleaning robots could expand from $85.17 million in 2022 to $264.18 million by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2%, according to Contrive Datum Insights Pvt. Ltd. The research firm said that North America had the largest market share, but demand is growing worldwide.
Want to learn more about cobot arms? This article was featured in the April 2024 Robotics 24/7 Special Focus Issue titled “Collaborating with robot arms, platforms.”
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