Until real windows are eventually all replaced with ultra-high-resolution screens (mark my words, it’s gonna happen) Skyline Robotics hopes to solve the window washer dilemma with robots: specifically, what appears to be KUKA Robotics arms outfitted with a large cleaning brush and a system that automatically pumps clean water through it.

Officially named Ozmo, the robot can be mounted to the same lift mechanisms that carry multiple window washers up and down the side of a building through the use of a motorized crane system on the roof. Unlike humans, however, Ozmo has a much longer reach, allowing one or two of the robotic arms to potentially clean a much larger region on every pass. As with other robotic workers, Ozmo doesn’t take breaks, need lunch, or ever have to go to the bathroom. And since it’s permanently bolted to the lift it’s riding, there are no harnesses to check and re-check before a shift, and should something go wrong, there’s less risk to human life.

If you live in New York and work in a high-rise structure, there’s a good chance you might get a chance to see one of the Ozmo robots at work because Skyline Robotics recently announced a new partnership with a company named Platinum, Inc. that currently has cleaning and maintenance contracts with 65% of the Class A buildings (a classification applied to the newest, most modern skyscrapers) in New York City. It’s the first time the Ozmo robots will be deployed in the US, so you can soon expect a sharp decrease in the number of ‘window washers dangling in peril’ stories on your local news.

Machines are getting better and better at doing jobs that traditionally could only be done by humans. Largely this is thanks to advances in machine learning that have given us machines that are capable of using data to make decisions. As they are trained on more data — in simulated or real-world situations, they are able to do this with increasing proficiency. This is what we’ve come to refer to as artificial intelligence (AI) — the closest we’ve so far come to creating machines that are capable of learning, thinking, and deciding.

So is this unprecedented situation going to result in widespread human redundancy, with the associated damage and disruption to society that this would seem to entail? There are certainly some who think so. On the other hand, some believe it will lead to a new paradigm in human work and productivity, where machines take care of all the dirty, boring, and dangerous jobs, leaving us free to spend time on more rewarding creative, fun or social pursuits.

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