{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,19]],"date-time":"2026-03-19T00:02:16Z","timestamp":1773878536115,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2007,3,13]],"date-time":"2007-03-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1173744000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2007,3,13]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper presents the design of climbing robots for glass\u2010wall cleaning.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>A systemic analysis of the basic functions of a glass\u2010wall cleaning system is given based on the research of working targets. Then the constraints for designing a glass\u2010wall cleaning robot are discussed. The driving method, the attachment principle, mechanical structure and unique aspects of three pneumatic robots named Sky Cleaners follow. In the end a summary of the main special features is given. All three climbing robots are tested on site.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our groups spent several years in designing and developing a series of robots named Sky Cleaners which are totally actuated by pneumatic cylinders and sucked to the glass walls with vacuum grippers in mid\u2010air. It was found that they can meet the requirements of glass\u2010wall cleaning.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Research limitation\/implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The air source, cleaning liquid and control signals should be provided by the supporting vehicle stationed on the ground. Even if the robots are intelligent, the suitable working height is below 50\u2009m because the weight of the hoses has to be taken into account when the robots work in mid\u2010air.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The cleaning robotic systems can avoid workers presence in a hazardous environment and realize an automatic cleaning, furthermore reduce operation costs and improve the technological level and productivity of the service industry in the building maintenance.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>Sky Cleaner robots can move and do cleaning on the plane glass wall or the special curve wall with a small angle between the glasses. The first two prototypes are mainly used for research and the last one is a real product designing for cleaning the glass surface of Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/01439910710727504","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2007,3,15]],"date-time":"2007-03-15T10:32:10Z","timestamp":1173954730000},"page":"150-160","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":73,"title":["A series of pneumatic glass\u2010wall cleaning robots for high\u2010rise buildings"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"34","author":[{"given":"Houxiang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jianwei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rong","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guanghua","family":"Zong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022012319525637000_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Abderrahim, M., Balaguer, C., Gim\u00e9nez, A., Pastor, J.M. and Padron, V.M. 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