Climbing robot cleans and paints high-rise buildings

Jointly developed by experts from Singapore-based control specialist ELID Technology International and Nanyang Technological University, the robotic system – dubbed OutoBot - is claimed to offer a safer and more efficient alternative to what is currently a highly manual process.

The main feature of the system - which weighs just under 500kg - is a robotic arm with six-degrees of freedom which is equipped with a camera and a spray nozzle that can shoot high-pressure water jets to clean surfaces or to spray paint. This is mounted on a specially designed automated gondola.

Powered by a conventional power outlet, the robot can scan the exterior surface of a building using a camera and automatically plot the areas to spray paint or clean while avoiding the windows. It also gives a more consistent coat of paint as compared to the manual methods.

The robot was developed in response to a call from Singapore’s Housing & Development Board (HDB) for proposals to automate the painting of external HDB building façades, in order to enhance worker safety and increase productivity.