Ferrovial Services presents the A1A3 Robot, an innovative trolley for street cleaners

Ferrovial Services recently presented the A1A3 street cleaner's robot to the heads of street cleaning services in Barcelona, after performing pilot tests in the neighbourhoods of Sarrià and Pedralbes. The project –conceived and developed in relation to the renewal of the service contract for street cleaning and rubbish removal in Barcelona – is being led by Ferrovial Services, the Innovation and Processes Department of Ferrovial and the technology partner, Urban Clouds. The A1A3 is an automated street cleaner's trolley that can actually follow the street cleaners so that they can concentrate on sweeping and, therefore, get the job done more quickly and easily. The trolley also has a dustpan that can be raised and lowered at the push of a button on the broom, so the sweepings can be placed in the container with no need for lifting by the sweeper. In addition to being very useful, the A1A3 offers a high degree of safety. It is fitted with sensors that detect objects and slopes and it will stop upon detecting an obstacle. Also, the trolley can brake almost instantly, so it poses no danger to pedestrians or street furniture. The Robot runs on an electric motor that allows it to move by itself at a speed of 2 km/h. It can also be moved manually by the street cleaner, with assistance provided by the electric motor. The motor has a lithium-ion battery that provides 9 hours of autonomy and a total of 15 proximity sensors and 9 slope sensors. There is a remote control incorporated into the broom with which the cleaner “summons” the robot from a distance of up to 50 metres. The A1A3 has capacity for up to 15 kg of waste and it uses conventional bags that are very easy to remove and replace.

Improvements in occupational health and worker ergonomics

The trolley has huge benefits in terms of occupational health and worker ergonomics: it reduces the need for movement by the worker during the cleaning process (workers do less walking); it reduces the effort that is made by the worker in situations involving pushing or retaining the robot on slopes, since it can move by itself or with assistance; and there is no lifting for the worker to do.

Innovation in city services

Robotics is one of the research areas in which Ferrovial Services is working hard to provide differential solutions – and thus added value – to its clients. Innovation in Ferrovial Services is one of the company's strategic priorities and it is based on a model of open innovation, with participation by technology partners, universities, research centres, start-up companies, clients and funding bodies. The street cleaner's robot was officially presented at the most recent Barcelona Smart City Expo World Congress. You can find out more about this project in the next article appearing in the Ferrovial blog, “A robot to help street cleaners”.