The Good: The Mint has veered off the course that other automated cleaners have forged and now mops and sweeps, rather than vacuuming or scrubbing. It works by communicating with an electronic sensor placed separately in the room desired for cleaning and created a virtual map of the area. The sensor and traffic pattern used by the Mint gives it a huge step up in efficiency over previous models. The Mint will cover every single inch of the floor it is told to clean and has a multitude of settings for various surfaces. The Mint also happens to be a very quiet product, as you can simply run it overnight and have the whole floor cleaned entirely and quietly while you rest. Energy that could have been spent on cleaning a floor is now stored or used on other endeavors.
The Bad: The Mint is limited to the virtual cube sensor. In other words, if the signal of the sensor does not reach the entire room, then the Mint will not clean it. Manufacturers suggest that buying more than one cube sensor would be a quick fix for that problem, but who wants to spend unnecessary money? Table and chair legs seem to be quite the obstacle for the Mint, as it seems this product has been meant more for wide open spaces, rather than those with obstacles.
So what does this mean for business? Well, companies who decide to use the Mint to clean their buildings and office spaces would be eliminating expenses that they would have had to spend on cleaning employees. That extra money could be put to other tasks such as research and development or hiring more workers for the more important jobs. Companies could save copious amounts of money by having their cleaning done automatically and expand further with their extra funds. Overall, I would call the Mint a valuable product that could enhance a company's productivity and raise its funds.
http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-10/testing-goods-mint-automatic-floor-cleaner
1 comment:
Inventions like The Mint seem as though they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Who like cleaning, especially floors? Who would have thought that there would one day be a robot with GPS who could clean your home? Although it is quiet, The Mint is pricey and doesn’t pick up trash that is on the floor, like vacuums do. They are also limited because of their sensors (1). They would be completely immobile if the signal of the sensor didn’t reach the entire room and therefore, parts of the house would be left unkempt. However, unlike people, The Mint works at all hours of the night and when you wake up, the floors will be clean. Energy has been saved by using this robotic cleaning system.
Even though The Mint seems like a dream come true, it further proves how lazy we have become as a society. Life was made easier by the introduction of the Swiffer and now it has become even more convenient having a robot do the cleaning for us. Companies could save spending money on hiring cleaning companies to clean the office, but is it really that much cheaper? Corporations would need several of these robots and would constantly be spending money on new pads for the devices which makes them very costly. Before The Mint becomes the cleaning machine of choice, it needs to increase in functionality and be able to pick things up (2). Designers could also include timers and a charging station that The Mint could return to after a hard day of work. Ideally, this system will save companies and home owners money if they are paying people to clean for them, but just like any new piece of technology, all the kinks must be worked out first.
1. http://www.popsci.com
2. http://www.electronichouse.com
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