Cobotics – the future
of cleaning?
THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2023
By Alastair Scott, director of sales at Robert Scott
Cleaning is changing, with the introduction of robotic solutions and the excitingly named cobotics set to dominate the field.
Cobotics is short for collaborative robotics; referring to robots that are intended for direct interaction with humans. It’s an area that Robert Scott has recently moved into, becoming the UK’s primary distributor of METABOTS – including the META-SCRUB 60, an efficient autonomous scrubber dryer.
WHAT IS COBOTICS AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Like robotics, cobotics relies on an automated solution to do the manual labour. But unlike purely robotic solutions, cobots sees robots and humans combine to deliver the ultimate result. Cobotics offer a solution to nationwide staff shortages in cleaning. By taking care of cleaning large, open spaces, machine cleaning frees up human time for spot cleaning, disinfecting, deep cleaning and so on – places where a human touch is needed or areas where a machine can’t reach effectively.
This is particularly relevant for cleaning businesses with contracts or service level agreements which are facing concerns over staff availability. Cobotics present a natural solution, while also helping to upskill existing staff, in turn supporting employee retention and preventing even more significant resourcing pressures in future.
We anticipate a significant growth in popularity for these intelligent cobotic machines. Designed with the optimum performance in mind, they are easy to operate and deliver a sparkling clean finish – perfect for floorcare and particularly over large areas like retail spaces, hospitality, airports, educational facilities and more.
Transparent reporting provides a reliable information log specifiying what area was cleaned and when – helpful for internal processes and also for providing a value add to the end customer.
The ability to monitor and direct the cobot remotely via phone, tablet or desktop gives supervisors and operators the opportunity to perform other tasks while maintaining oversight over the machines that are under their stewardship.

HOW WELL DO THEY CLEAN?
When it comes to floorcare, we know how important it is to deliver impeccable results. Floors must be properly cleaned and dried to deliver a quality finish, without creating slip and trip hazards from wet or slippery floors.
Cobotics deliver this in the same way as any other premium floorcare device, but with a key difference: they can handle the entire process, including waste water disposal, leaving your teams to get on with other jobs.
The META-SCRUB 60, for example, includes different attachments that can scrub, mop, sweep, polish and dry a floor surface.
The META-SCRUB 60 was developed with cleaning in mind. The manufacturer, METABOTS, has a background in cleaning, ensuring that efficacy was the number one concern. This focus on cleaning outcomes is combined with cutting-edge technology which allows it to detect objects as small as 5cm, dynamic obstacle avoidance and a zero-degree turning circle to access to narrow areas.
TRAINING AND MAINTENANCE
Bringing new technology on board will undoubtedly require training. Robert Scott’s Cobotic division provides product training and installation – we will set up the machine for your space, including showing supervisors how to amend its mapping tool should a space be changed – for example, with the addition of a pop up structure.
When it comes to maintenance, simple regular interventions will keep the machine in good health – quick checks like wiping and inspecting attachments, flushing out the hose and emptying the filter are all that’s required between services.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Cobotic solutions will generally use less product and water than a traditional floor cleaning approach, thus helping cleaning managers reduce their environmental impact. In fact, some require no water whatsoever, using bacteria-removing microfibre to clean floors. This helps reduce slip risks as well as cutting down on waste water usage.
In addition to this, modern battery charging approaches mean that powering cobotics can cost as little as 35p per hour, with the battery life reaching as long as 20 hours.
Cleaning and hygiene operatives are an increasingly valuable resource. Their unique skillset can be put to great use on those tasks that deliver the greatest impact, complemented perfectly by cobotic solutions.