Handling near People Movers (stairs, escalators, moving walkways, elevators, etc.)

Additional precautions to prevent Whiz tips and falls

Safe operations help avoid robot tips and falls. Whiz’s weight can cause injury and damage to people, spaces, and the robot itself if not moved and routed correctly. 

Moving Whiz

Please be sure to pull out the steering handle to move Whiz when teaching a route or during autonomous cleaning. Do not attempt to force Whiz into a different position by other means as it can cause Whiz to incorrectly identify its current location and deviate from its cleaning route or its cleaning area. 

Sloped or Stepped Surfaces 

Whiz may tip or fall if running on or too close to steps, angled floor, or uneven surfaces. Grooves between floors, grates or other lids, escalators, elevators, moving walkways, braille blocks, and thick rugs should be avoided in routes. Please remember to place a barrier in front of escalators, and stairs with steps less than 6 cm (2.5 inches) in height when operating Whiz. If Whiz enters a vertical or horizontal transportation mechanism (e.g. escalator, moving walkway) there is a risk of it falling on, blocking, or falling down the space and injuring people. For more information, please refer to the operational manual. 

Route Preparation

To avoid Path is Blocked and Robot Is Off Path situations, please make sure Whiz’s path is clear of commonly- and frequently-moved obstacles such as chairs, trash cans, recycling bins, etc. Cleaning sensors regularly will help avoid false detections. 

When barriers are required, such as for the uneven surfaces described above, they should meet the following criteria. Please note that even though Whiz is equipped with cliff detection sensors, the sensors may not detect downward spaces less than 6cm (2.5 inches) in height.

  • The barrier should be more than 8 inches tall.
  • The barrier must be heavy enough and stable enough not to fall or move when hit by the machine’s front bumper.
  • When there is an opening towards the steps, it must be narrow enough that Whiz cannot enter.
  • The surface of the barrier cannot be reflective (e.g. mirror) or light-transmitting (e.g. glass, net, fence).

Home Location Code Placement

Place the Home Location Code (HLC) on a wall or a pillar in a light place approximately 2 ft
from the floor at a height slightly below the camera and 2.5 ft away from the Machine.

For those who need to remove the HLC every time after cleaning, please identify the installation location by marking it, or using an immobile object as a reference. Even slight changes in the HLC position can cause the Machine to deviate from its cleaning route, possibly moving outside its cleaning area and into dangerous spaces (e.g. escalators and elevators).

Additional Information

Your Operational Manual contains the full scope of information needed for safe and effective autonomous cleaning.