Trombia Technologies pilots an autonomous sweeping robot based on its Trombia Sweeper Attachment. The mobile robot is designed to support facilities maintenance work in busy closed areas like parking lots, where cleanliness is key both for the security and for the atmosphere. Trombia worked with facility services company ISS to run the pilot project at the Helsinki airport parking facility.

The core of the machine is the electric Trombia Free street sweeper which has been a Trombia product since 2015. Until now, the Trombia sweeper was sold as an attachment to a front loader. The new autonomous sweeper replaces the front loader with an autonomously navigating power unit.

ISS Finland is the initial partner for piloting the autonomous sweeper.

Goals for the pilot project

The target of the pilot is to develop autonomous street sweepers, support facilities maintenance and safely operate in busy traffic and industrial areas. Parking lots present challenges of moving safely through parked vehicles, moving vehicles and pedestrians. The pilot project will also validate how well Trombia Free can clean without using any water.

“Airports are open basically 24/7 and to fill the needs of the global traveler, all areas from the parking lot to the terminal and to the gate need to fill high service levels safely and this can be a true sweet spot for autonomous maintenance. During the pilot we will work in continuous mode, meaning the robot will work in the areas also during the night”, says Antti Nikkanen, CEO of Trombia Technologies.

“At ISS our purpose is to connect people and places to make the world work better. In a better working world innovations and technology help people to work, live and travel in a safe and comfortable way. That is why ISS Finland is proudly participating in this project with Trombia Technologies. We are constantly looking for new innovations and finding solutions that make life easier, more productive, and meaningful for our customers and for our employees. We are front runner in sustainable facility management and this pilot also supports our corporate responsibility and environmental targets”, says Jukka Backlund, Head of Facility Management product, ISS Finland.

“As we know we need to cut our carbon emissions heavily during the following years. Electric sweepers and other service robots can play a big role in revolutionizing the environmental impact of maintenance”, says Nikkanen.

The pilot is part of “Multi-purpose Service Robotics as Operator Business” (MURO) project, that is run by one of Europe’s leading research institutions, VTT and funded by Business Finland.