Fire alarm

Robotics in the commercial cleaning industry have continued to gain moment in recent years due to a wide range of capabilities — a list which includes route recognition, the ability to clean multiple types of floors, and the general labor it can free up for short-staffed frontline crews. 

While an exciting trend, the robotics can have more setbacks than simply an upfront cost, however. As reported by The Straits Times, an evacuation was needed in a ward of the Singapore General Hospital last month after a cleaning robot caught fire. The fire occurred while the robot was being charged.

Fortunately for staff and patients, no injuries were reported after a sprinkler successfully identified the smoke, was activated and alerted the hospital’s response team. The fire was quickly diffused thereafter, and by the same evening around 9 p.m., regular operations resumed at the ward in question. 

Read more on the incident here.