Final year mechanical engineering students of Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda – Johan Vernekar, Vibert Trindade, Francis Fernandes, Siddhant Dessai and Cecil Falcao have successfully developed and tested a prototype ‘Glass Cleaning Robot for High Rise Buildings’ under the guidance of head of department, Mechanical Engineering, professor Ajit Salunke. This project aims to eliminate the risk of exposing human beings to laborious and dangerous work and thereby reducing time and cost of cleaning.
The cleaning is achieved by horizontal movement of a sponge attached to the lower end of the horizontal aluminium frame of the robot. The vertical and horizontal frames consist of vacuum cups which hold the robot against the glass surface. Ultrasonic sensors detect the distance between the glass and sensor. If the distance is within limits, the relay circuit is signaled to actuate the solenoid valves which extend/retract the pneumatic cylinders that facilitate the motion of the robot. All actions of the robot are controlled by ATMEGA328P microcontroller.