The Ozmo robotic window cleaner operates on a skyscraper in New York City. Source: Skyline Robotics
Cleaning the windows of skyscrapers around the world meets the definition of dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs for robot assistance. Skyline Robotics and Palladium Window Solutions today deployed Ozmo, which includes a robot arm, at a 45-story New York building owned and managed by The Durst Organization.
“Together with our partners Palladium Window Solutions and The Durst Organization, Skyline Robotics is changing centuries of tradition and the landscape of Manhattan forever with our advanced technology,” stated Michael Brown, CEO of Skyline Robotics. “We’re delivering the future of façade maintenance, as Ozmo and human window cleaners work in unison to protect the health of buildings faster and safer than existing solutions.”
The challenges of operating on high rises and a growing shortage of qualified workers are driving the $40 billion window-cleaning industry to modernize, said Skyline Robotics. According to online jobs resource Zippia, 75% of window cleaners in the U.S. are above the age of 40, while just 9% of them are between 20 and 30 years old. At the same time, the New York skyline continues to grow.
Skyline innovates to improve cleaning safety, quality
Founded in 2017, Skyline Robotics said its technology can keep people out of harm’s way, improve the consistency and quality of window cleaning, and even create new jobs. The company‘s goal is to automate all types of work at heights, starting with window cleaning.
“I was driving down the West Side Highway looking at Hudson Yards and looked up at the skyline,” recalled Brown. “I couldn’t believe that people were still doing that work. Widow cleaners are superheroes — they do manual labor at incredible heights and variable weather.”
“There have been over 100 attempts to automate window cleaning, and we had to find solutions that fit within very specific parameters, not what was convenient for us to do,” he told The Robot Report. “Real estate is traditionally conservative, and we had to get buy-in from service providers, property owners, and industry regulators.”
Skyline Robotics’ Ozmo cleans a building facade. Source: Skyline Robotics
Ozmo brings robustness and sustainability
Skyline’s system includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and a KUKA robot arm. Ozmo went through rigorous testing and meets regulatory requirements, the company noted.
“Everything has to be robust and work in the real world. The world is our lab,” Brown explained. “We initially felt that lidar and a force-torque sensor, plus a camera for an operator to see would do the trick, but then we realized that conditions would be variable. Everything has to be waterproof, and we need redundancy for safety.”
In addition, lidar can have difficulty with smooth, transparent panes of glass, so Skyline added ultrasonic sensors, as well as sensors to detect different windowsills. The company also had to account for sensor fusion, water pressure over 1,000 ft. (304.8 m), and extreme temperatures in building its patented system.
Clean windows are important for maintaining comfortable internal temperatures, and Skyline Robotics also looked at water filtration and recycling to meet strict European expectations for sustainability, said Brown.
Ozmo can autonomously clean windows three times faster than traditional window cleaning, according to Skyline Robotics. A human operator on the rooftop supervises the system, which provides new career opportunities, it added.
Skyline Robotics has won numerous awards, including a 2023 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award, a Fast Company 2023 Next Big Things in Tech Award, and a PropTech Breakthrough Award for “Construction Robotics Solution of the Year.” The company raised funding in May and is also part of the New York Robotics Network.
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Skyline Robotics works at the top of New York
The Class A office tower at 1133 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan’s Bryant Park neighborhood is now the only skyscraper in the world using an automated window-cleaning system, claimed Skyline Robotics.
“New York City is world-renowned for its skyscrapers and an exceptionally skilled labor force,” said Nick Durst, senior analyst at The Durst Organization. “The Durst Organization’s investment in Skyline and implementation of Ozmo is driving the future of the window cleaning industry to make the work safer and more efficient, while creating new opportunities for window cleaners.”
Founded in 1915, The Durst Organization owns some of New York’s most notable skyscrapers including One Bryant Park, One Five One West 42nd Street, and One World Trade Center. The company has built, owned, and managed 13 million sq. ft. (1.2 million sq. m) of office space and more than 3 million sq. ft. (278,709 sq. m) of residential properties, with 3,400 rental apartments and several thousand units in its pipeline.
RaaS, partnerships to lead to global expansion
Skyline Robotics worked with Palladium Window Solutions, as well as state and municipal regulators, to accomplish the Ozmo deployment.
“We had to file paperwork for four buildings prior to this one, and they gave us feedback,” said Brown. “New York is the strictest regulator on the planet, which is unexciting from an investor perspective, but it’s where we always wanted to go.”
“We are committed to driving innovation and adopting new technology that works with our field staff toward a collaborative future,” said Jason Dove, president of Palladium Window Solutions.
“This New York City rollout using cutting-edge technology showcases that the industry is supporting this technology, which has been approved for usage by the New York State Department of Labor,” he added. “We look forward to being part of this groundbreaking advancement in human-assisted robotics technology.”
Palladium has been cleaning high-rise windows throughout New York since 2009. It said its employees are highly trained and experienced in the use of various suspended scaffolding systems, building maintenance units, aerial lifts and supported scaffolding. The company also operates in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Philadelphia, and it has a New York City Department of Buildings Special Rigger’s License.
“The robotics-as-a-service [RaaS] business model is both a blessing and a curse. Tech companies sometimes forget about the business side,” observed Brown. “We needed to train union workers to get comfortable and proficient with the technology to build up the robot operator workforce. We’re also building up the infrastructure to service units and components.”
Skyline Robotics said Ozmo’s NYC deployment marks the beginning of its global expansion. The company, which has offices in New York and research and development in Yaqum, Israel, plans to expand to London with partner Principle Cleaning Services.
In addition, Skyline has secured patents from Japan and Singapore. It is in talks with companies in South Korea, said Ross Blum, president and chief operating officer of Skyline Robotics.
The Ozmo robot is coming to London, thanks to a partnership with Principle Cleaning Services. Source: Skyline Robotics
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