Telekom, Capra Demo Smart City Cleaner Robot 'Butty' at Digital X

Robots and AI could soon be making city centers cleaner. Deutsche Telekom and the robotics specialist Capra from Denmark will be demonstrating how this works at Digital X in Cologne (18-19 September).

Robot Butty collects cigarette butts at the tech trade fair. However, the autonomous robot from Capra Robotics in Denmark is an all-rounder. It also works in industry and logistics. The Capra robot transports pallets, delivers parcels or guards the company fence. The all-terrain little Scandinavian even checks vines and ensures good wine on slopes.

The robot tows up to 100 kilogram loads and pulls loads of up to half a ton. Various attachments such as a suction nozzle, spray nozzle or 3D camera make it a multi-talent. High-tech in the background also ensures this: the robot travels in real time on Deutsche Telekom's IoT mobile and satellite network. Deutsche Telekom has concluded roaming agreements with 600 partners worldwide for this purpose. Companies such as Intelsat and Skylo supplement the connection with satellite radio. The autonomous technology thus uses a global network on land, water and in the air.

Robots need precision to pick up litter

In addition to seamless radio communication, autonomous robots need precise positioning. This is because small pieces of garbage, for example, are the biggest problem for city cleaning services: Butty has to steer precisely to the four-centimetre point for a cigarette butt.

The robot also needs to be accurate when deicing sidewalks in winter. The GPS satellite navigation system is not accurate enough for this. Deutsche Telekom is therefore working with the company Swift Navigation on highly accurate satellite navigation. An AI-supported navigation system allows the robot to maneuver around obstacles in tight spaces in real time using camera technology.

Butty navigates safely in the cloud

Deutsche Telekom orchestrates the complex technology together in the cloud. The network, AI and navigation work together on the servers of a protected data center. As the technology is located in the cloud, support staff can access it via the internet. This enables a global service.

Industry is particularly interested in robots. Companies are constantly optimizing their logistics in production or delivery.

Components must arrive smoothly at a production plant. Otherwise there is a risk of expensive production stoppages. And the end customer is unhappy if the delivery date does not work out. Robots could be a solution. After all, material transportation in production takes time. Between machine A and machine B, a lot of expensive manual work is still required to meet delivery deadlines.

Doorways are a challenge for robots

Moving parts from the warehouse outside and into the production on the shop floor is also a challenge. At the sometimes narrow doorway, it has to move with particular precision, also to avoid collisions between man and machine.

Lars Hee Hansen, Chief Commercial Officer of Capra Robotics, says: “Reliable 4G and 5G, precise positioning and camera-based navigation together ensure precision. We close the gap between indoor and outdoor logistics. This saves companies time and money.

Dennis Nikles, Managing Director of Deutsche Telekom IoT GmbH, adds: “The Capra robot takes over repetitive tasks independently. This frees up qualified workers in companies.”

Autonomous technology: many good reasons for the environmentAside from costs and time savings, autonomous technology has benefits for the environment. In industry, autonomous vehicles save a lot of emissions.

The EU wants to reduce its CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030. To achieve this, Germany must save 262 million tons of CO2 per year. According to digital association Bitkom, up to 58% of these savings can be achieved through digitalization.

Robots cleaning the city

The environmental effect of Butty & Co. is particularly evident in city cleaning: Cigarette butts, for example, are the most frequently discarded waste product worldwide. The WHO counts 4.5 trillion carelessly discarded cigarette butts every year. Each one takes 15 years to completely decompose.

It contains many harmful substances and contaminates drinking water. In Cologne, a cigarette butt discarded on the asphalt costs 50 euros in fines. At playgrounds or in green spaces, fees start at 100 euros.

EU directive makes manufacturers of cigarettes with plastic filters responsible

The market for autonomous robots in city cleaning will get a boost next year. The EU is making manufacturers of single-use plastic contribute to the costs of disposal via a directive (German only). Bags, cups and cigarette filters: the special levy for most single-use products containing plastic will come into effect in Germany in 2025. Researchers estimate that the levy will generate up to 450 million euros a year for the public sector.