Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is deploying a Nilfisk robot floor scrubber to enhance cleaning and sanitising procedures across its terminals.
The robot is currently being used as part of a pilot programme across PHL’s seven terminals. Following the trial period, PHL plans to dispatch the cleaning robot in Terminals A and B, the airport’s busiest terminals.
“We will consider the pilot a success when we can determine how well the robot works in the heavy trafficked, highly soiled areas and how well it performs with minimal oversight. The goal is to increase our efforts to continuously clean and sanitise the airport to assist the PHL staff in their work towards overall cleanliness”
The robot is programmed to clean a mapped area using a scrubbing mechanism followed by a squeegee and vacuum to dry the surface.
The robot can be operated manually or in automatic mode depending on the surface area requirements. PHL will primarily use the robot in automatic mode alongside a custodial supervisor, who will be working in the same area as the robot.
PHL has currently trained eight staff members to operate the cleaning robot and intends to train the majority of its maintenance team to use the machine.
The robot will mostly be used overnight to maximise cleaning procedures when there is less passenger traffic. If the pilot programme is successful, PHL plans to purchase additional units to deploy across its terminals.
