Clean city centers: Capra and Telekom showcase autonomous cleaning robot Butty

The Danish robotics company Capra Robotics has developed the cleaning robot Butty, which is designed to autonomously keep city centers free of litter such as cigarette butts. Deutsche Telekom provides the necessary mobile radio and cloud technology, as calculations for some of the robot's functions have been transferred to the cloud.

According to Deutsche Telekom, the Butty robot can be used in a variety of ways – in industry and logistics, for example. For example, the robot can transport pallets, perform monitoring tasks and also deliver parcels. As it can also travel on difficult terrain with its three wheels, it is also suitable for inspecting vines on slopes.

This requires the appropriate attachments for the respective task, such as a spray nozzle or a suction nozzle for cleaning work. Butty is also equipped with a 3D camera which, together with artificial intelligence (AI), makes object recognition possible, for example to detect and locate cigarette butts on sidewalks and squares.

Using an AI-supported navigation system, Butty moves forward autonomously to carry out cleaning tasks in city centers. The robot must be able to be positioned precisely for this and for the precise control of waste. Conventional GPS navigation is not accurate enough. The system has to be very precise to within four centimetres. Deutsche Telekom has therefore entered into a partnership with Swift Navigation to achieve very precise satellite communication. With this and the help of AI, the robot can then navigate autonomously in public spaces.

Radio and cloud technology from Deutsche Telekom

Some of Butty's functions run in the cloud, which is operated by Deutsche Telekom. This includes the robot's AI and autonomous navigation. The robot is connected via an Internet of Things mobile network and, where none is available, via Deutsche Telekom's satellite network. Telekom has concluded roaming contracts with around 600 partners worldwide for this purpose. Intelsat and Skylo, for example, contribute satellite radio. The robot can therefore be used practically anywhere in the world. Deutsche Telekom promises that the cloud will be operated on secure servers in a protected data center.

Specially equipped, Butty is designed to carry out cleaning work autonomously in city centers, for example. In addition to other smaller items of waste, Deutsche Telekom has its sights set on carelessly discarded cigarette butts in particular. It takes around 15 years for one to decompose. In the process, it contains many pollutants that can get into the groundwater and should therefore be removed quickly.

However, Capra and Telekom have also set their sights on other markets with Butty –, such as de-icing footpaths, monitoring facilities and use in logistics. Butty has a high load capacity of 100 kg and can pull loads of up to 500 kg.

Capra Robotics and Deutsche Telekom plan to present the Butty robot at the Digital X technology trade fair in Cologne on Wednesday.

(olb)