Objective
The project aims to provide test facilities which will permit cleaning contractors to address the operational and organisational issues of introducing fully automated industrial floor cleaning machines (cleaning robots). Such machines could substantially increase productivity in cleaning large commercial/public building floor areas.
The proposed work entails the provision of cleaning robot prototypes based directly on the results of ESPRIT project ACRO (EP6051) and the CABX/AUROR developments funded by French public authorities, for user trials and bench-marking tests. Two different navigational approaches will be assessed, one free-ranging, the other beacon-guided, to establish the appropriate trade-off in flexibility and ease of operation. End-users will have the opportunity to establish criteria for appropriate application sites based on economic justification and operational restrictions. Special emphasis will be given to proving the safety of the system against Machinery Directive requirements and especially to establish confidence in the use of a sonar-based protection unit as an 'electronic bumper' replacing the cumbersome mechanical bumpers currently required.
Dissemination of practical experience from this application, which involves non-technical end-users, tough cost benefit criteria and high public visibility, will assist in overcoming the barriers to introducing automation in facility management caused by current working practices. The proposed work is also seen as a strategic opportunity to raise the profile of the cleaning services industry as an investor in IT and to promote a change of attitude to what has traditionally been regarded as a low skill, low value activity and enable service providers to provide a higher value service in an industry currently worth 100 billion ECU in Europe. Presentations will be used to stimulate debate between building designers and service providers on the opportunities for using new technology to reduce cleaning costs. Widespread adoption of the technology will provide incentives to raise employment standards for Europe's 1.9 million cleaners by provision of better training, more secure jobs and through increased productivity, better pay. For the industrial partners, who are SMEs, the field trials will enable better assessment of return on investment and provide a demand for products manufactured by them.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences sociology industrial relations automation
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- social sciences economics and business business and management employment
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
23843 BAD OLDESLOE
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.