Skyline Robotics is revolutionizing window washing with the introduction of their new robot, Ozmo. This robot, which is currently operational in Tel Aviv and New York, has washed major Manhattan buildings such as 10 Hudson Yards, 383 Madison, 825 3rd Avenue and 7 World Trade Center in partnership with the city's largest commercial window cleaner Platinum and prominent real estate developer The Durst Organization. Powered by a robotic arm with a brush at the end, the Ozmo is suspended from the side of a high-rise and uses a LiDAR camera with laser technology to map 3D environments and recognize the dimensions of the windows. The operator of the robot is situated at the top of the building, though Skyline Robotics chief operating officer Ross Blum stated that the Ozmo could be run remotely. Additionally, the Ozmo uses reverse osmosis to clean the windows more efficiently. At a cost of approximately $500,000, the Ozmo has a three to five-year payback period for building owners, according to board member and Platinum CEO James Halpin.
A new technology that can substitute for physical labor has recently come onto the scene, with AI improvements such as ChatGPT making headlines and raising questions about potential job loss in customer service, writing, and programming. According to the 2020 World Economic Forum report, 85 million positions will be eliminated by 2025 as a result of this "robot revolution," however this figure is offset by the 97 million job opportunities stemming from the need for reskilling and retraining. According to a 2016 study from the Brookings Institution, a "medium" portion of maintenance and construction roles (30 - 70%) are vulnerable to automation, leading Platinum interested in the Ozmo in light of a current labour shortage in the area of window washing. Speaking on the matter, Halpin said "we could hire an extra 20% just to keep up with the existing workload we have right now". Both Blum and Halpin agree that their objective is to retrain and reassign window washers to operate the Ozmo rather than solely replacing human workers, although the machine significantly reduces the number of people needed per job, from 3 - 4 human window washers to just one operator. 23-year industry veteran and window washer at Rockefeller centre, Jose Nieves, worries that his profession may be put in jeopardy. He argues that dangers associated with window washing are exaggerated and further believes that keeping manual labour should be prioritised. Speaking as part of SEIU 32BJ, the property service union representing many East Coast workers, Nieves commented that there are 500 - 550 unionized window washers in the New York City area, earning $31.69/hour at peak summertime. He noted that "As a society we should not be cutting costs on the backs of workers. I would say we have been doing a great job without these robots. Don't fix it unless it's broken."
Aleksandra Przegalińska, a senior research associate at Harvard's Labor and Worklife Program, is part of a steadily expanding number of futurists assessing the potential of human-machine collaboration, particularly the capacity of machines to undertake tedious or hazardous duties for humans. Due to the novelty of Ozmo technology, it is not easy to evaluate, but the possibility of allocating human labor away from high-risk areas is attractive. For instance, during the coronavirus surge, robots such as Moxi were used to deliver medication to infected patients. Przegalińska commented: "Certainly, if your life is at risk, employing a robot is worth considering." Skyline has been developing the robot since 2017 and has secured funding of $6.5 million in a pre-Series A round, as well as a grant from the Israeli government. In total, the company has acquired $12.9 million in capital, with the most recent funding round closing on August 7 according to a press release. An update: The position of Ross Blum was incorrectly specified and the total amount of money raised by Skyline was understated in a previous version of this article. He is the president and COO and has raised $12.9 million to date.
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