Glass Cleaning Robot for High Rise Buildings

Abstract

one of the most important requirements of maintenance of high rise buildings with glass facades is the cleanliness. This is a highly laborious and risky operation for human workers. The objective of this work is to develop a glass cleaning robot to eliminate the hazards and improve the effectiveness of the glass cleaning process. This robot consists of two rectangular frames, a cleaning mechanism, pneumatic cylinders, suction cups, vacuum generators and solenoid valves. The frames were constructed by using 90 degree angled aluminum sections which are riveted together to form a rectangular frame. In this work, a novel apparatus to traverse the glass panes is introduced. This robot also has potential applications in cleaning large solar panels. A micro-controller controls the movement of the robot. A prototype unit was built and tested in different conditions.