ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Software company Soobr believes it has taken digital cleaning plans one step further than its rivals.

The company is using artificial intelligence to help contract cleaners plan their routes and deploy staff.

"We think we are the only company offering AI on a digital cleaning platform," said account executive Mario Pane. "This is our USP."

A tablet is fixed to the operator's trolley and the screen displays various tasks relevant to the environment along with the estimated duration of the tour.

This allows cleaners to plan their tasks and tick them off as they complete them. And the AI function becomes particularly useful when something goes wrong.

"Imagine it's a Monday morning and you have 100 cleaners - but 10 of them have called in sick," said Pane. "Using our dashboard you can immediately generate a new route at the touch of a button. And the AI will prioritise those tasks that need to be carried out that day, pushing the less urgent ones into a buffer zone for the next day."

Soobr is also setting up communications systems with hospitals to ensure that room cleaning is carried out as soon as a patient has been discharged. And the company is also working on an AI that will control teams of robot cleaners "like mini soldiers", says Pane.

It seems the robot army is just around the corner.