by Brianna Crandall — October 23, 2015—Of interest to facilities managers searching for ways to reduce the cost of routing cleaning, innovator Ed Selkow announced the launch of Scientific Maintenance Corporation, said to be the world’s first robotic facility services company, last month at a meeting of the Tampa Innovation Alliance.
The new company says robots will join with current building cleaners and provide some daily services autonomously.
Selkow, who worked 40 years in the commercial cleaning and maintenance industry, has been researching and writing about robotics since the 1980s. While working as a consultant to the facility services industry, he assembled a team of experts from commercial real estate management, infection prevention and robotic engineering to reduce the cost of routine cleaning in office buildings, schools and hospitals.
Selkow explains:
With the advent of technology-enabled buildings, it simply means that robots will now join with current building cleaners and provide some daily services autonomously. We have several companies from around the country who have expressed an interest in merging their operations with ours, in order to insure their own place in the future of the building cleaning and maintenance industry.
According to the SMC Web site, the company increases “cleaning productivity through integrating robotics with engineered people management,” delivering “superior service at a lower price…scientifically measured with digital precision.”
The company says it disinfects critical touch points, completely sanitizes restrooms, and utilizes “the latest green cleaning technology, techniques, supplies and equipment.” From the home page, it appears the company uses Sealed Air’s TASKI Intellibot robots.
