An off the wall question

When you think about it, the R&D plus manufacturing costs to develop a robot that could do a decent job of cleaning a toilet is far, far more than hiring a janitor at $6 or $7 an hour. You'd get a lot of clean toilets before you ever reach the cost of a robot that does the job, and remember robots need servicing, too. $$$

There may be some research along these lines, but what I've seen is fairly limited. For example, they've had robotic swimming pool cleaners for years. Simple mechanics so the machine doesn't have to be expensive. Ends up cheaper than a poolman.

Automatic window cleaners have been in use in commercial buildings for several decades. At least for the outside, where humans don't like to be anyway....unless, of course, they're cleaning the windows of the Playboy offices, or something...

-- Gordon

Kirk Reiser wrote:

Indeed. In San Jose we have self-cleaning toilets that cost $65,000/year to operate

iRobot has a floor scrubbing robot called the "Scooba". It looks like a Roomba, but has scrubbers instead of a vacuum. It is listed on their hompage at

Here are some toilet cleaning systems:

Yes, it's called a wife!

Somebody really should design a cheaper self-cleaning public toilet. Those JCDeaux units are incredibly expensive. The control gear is standard Telemechanique industrial control equipment, and there's way too much of it inside.

If you designed a washing machine using off the shelf industrial control gear, it would cost $10K or so. Those things need some value engineering.

John Nagle

Sales are illegal. Most users are caught, and a high percentage are convicted before a judge. Possession may turn into addiction, dependency, and loss of money. You have been warned.

You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to wash dishes. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

;-)

Bloody hell, I've already had 2.

Most users are caught, and a high percentage are

I too, have been caught, and convicted. Point taken. I hold my head in shame.

Looks like a common factor in the successful apps of a large area to be cleaned, which take a lengthy, repeaticious process.