At present, the window-cleaning process of tall buildings is currently too costly and inefficient and puts the workers involved in great risk of accidents.
Can you think of a new window-cleaning solution to automate the process that reduces the cost and increases the efficiency?
The Challenge
The maintenance of tall buildings is a big part of the general cost, including window-cleaning. At present, they are equipped with a BMU (Building Maintenance Unit) cradle system with two hanging jibs and a suspended platform attached to it. Depending on the company that offers the cleaning service, it might be that these workers are directly suspended from the hanging jibs with a safety harness. Although some devices in the market can already do this task automatically, these designs are still not good enough.
On average, with the cleaning techniques that involve workers, the windows of a 12-story building can be cleaned in 2 weeks and, also on average, this task is carried out 4 times every year.
What kind of window-cleaning solution is sought
We are looking for a system that uses the currently-installed hanging jibs so the window-cleaning can be done automatically or semi-automatically in buildings taller than 20m.
The solution must consider how the electricity supply and the water and cleaning products will be. Besides, it must be safe enough (prevent falling accidents) and be more efficient and sophisticated than the current systems.
The adaptability of the window-cleaning solution to the greatest number of façades and its simplicity when prototyping will be positively assessed.
Evaluation criteria
- Lower cost of the system.
- Cleaning efficiency.
- Manufacturing simplicity.
- Adaptability to different façades.
- Safety of the system.
Timeline
1 round – 6 weeks + 2 weeks for evaluation.
2 round – 12 weeks + 2 weeks for evaluation.
Prize
The winner of the challenge will receive 8,000 USD, and the best solutions of Round 1 that also submit the complete solution for Round 2 will share 2,000 USD.
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