Overview On Snap Gyms Where We Successfully Deployed Robots
We worked with an innovative, forward-thinking owner, Michael Smairl, owner of 4 Snap Gyms, for around 2 months, testing both the vacuums and scrubbers in different scenarios and cleaning modes/settings. Elements to the robot that can be altered: The robots can have their roller brushes lifted up and down to reduce or apply more pressure to the floors. We can change the brush speed, the speed of the robot, and adjust the speed of the water that is applied to the floor, as well as the suction pressure, from the rear squeegee that picks up the leftover water residue.
The biggest finding to come from the testing, was that soft rubber gym mats can become marked from the robot pivoting on the floors. Hard rubber mats are fine; it's just the softer mats that become marked after the unit has been operational for a few weeks. The robot has 2 cleaning settings for navigation of the floors, one is called "Arc" which cleans straight up and down like it's cleaning a cricket pitch, while the other is "Loop" and cleans the venue in a circular motion. We found a way to reduce marks on the soft rubber mats, by only using "Loop" cleaning mode and removing all "Arc" cleaning modes completely.
When the robot turns on "Arc" cleaning mode, it pivots on one wheel, which causes the wheel to grip the soft mat and mark the floor in a corkscrew fashion, slightly roughing up the smooth rubber surface. When we swapped all cleaning tasks to "Loop" cleaning mode, it removed this issue completely, however, there can still be some minor marks over time, from the wheels traveling over such sensitive flooring.
The final important aspect of the unit's operating in gyms, is that sometimes equipment is required to be moved slightly, so the robot can access the areas optimally. Moving equipment only 10-20cm can make a big difference in the robot's ability to navigate a gym floor. Also, a good thing to note on top of this, Michal has his cleaners move all weight benches and movable equipment back to a set layout each night, so the robot is guaranteed to provide each venue with a quality clean each night, not missing any areas or getting stuck due to random equipment being out of place.
Robot Maintenance/Cleaning:
The cleaners arrive on-site at night, before the robot starts its schedule, cleaning the roller brushes, squeegee and filter, so the robot is prepared to provide a quality clean. Owners can also have staff perform these tasks, however, we often find it difficult to get the staff to clean the units regularly and to a satisfactory standard. To whoever is reading this, know your staff better than us, so you will know the best option on that front.
Conclusion:
Michael's conclusion was that the robots knocked out such a large amount of cleaning; he was happy for any small marks to appear, and noted that you also get this wear and tear from customers. It was also noted that he can look on the cameras during the day or on the weekends, and see when the venue is quiet, and start the cleaning schedule using the App on his phone. Most days, the venues receive a cleaning during the day as well as at night, which would not be viable if he were to pay a cleaning company to attend the venue twice daily.
With the right systems in place, commercial autonomous floor cleaners are an effective way to clean gyms, however, you must be willing to work with the robots and our team, adjusting contract cleaner schedules and moving equipment where required.
