🏙️ Cleaning Skyscrapers the Smart Way: A Student-Engineered Window Cleaning Solution
In the age of vertical architecture, the gleaming façades of modern high-rise buildings are a symbol of progress. But behind those shiny surfaces lies a serious challenge: keeping them clean safely and efficiently. At Kathmandu University, a group of mechanical engineering students has taken on this issue head-on with an innovative project titled:
Design and Fabrication of High-Rise Building Glass Window Cleaner
Led by Nepal Keshav, This project sought to replace risky manual labor with a low-cost, automated window cleaning machine.
🚧 The Problem: Cleaning at Dangerous Heights
Traditionally, window cleaning of high-rise buildings involves workers suspended from ropes or cranes — a job fraught with risk, time consumption, and high costs. Despite advancements in construction, automation in facade cleaning is still not widespread, especially in developing countries.
To address this, the team developed a prototype robotic cleaner that mimics commercial systems like those of SkyPro and IPC Eagle, but at a fraction of the cost and complexity.
🔧 The Solution: A Low-Cost Cleaning Machine
The proposed design is powered by a 12V DC motor and features:
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A rolling brush to scrub the surface,
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A nozzle to spray water and cleaning fluid,
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A squeegee and soft cloth for final wiping,
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And a battery-powered control system.
All components are housed inside a GI sheet-insulated plywood frame, reinforced with rods and fastened with bolts. The design ensures portability, safety, and affordability.
🔩 Materials Used:
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Motors, switches, spur gears, bearings
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PVC pipe, plywood, rods, GI sheets
💸 Estimated Budget: Just NRs 5,640 (~$45 USD)
⚙️ Design Methodology
The team utilized SolidWorks to model all mechanical parts, ensuring functionality before fabrication. The workflow involved:
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Designing the brush and drive system,
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Integrating spray and squeeze components,
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Simulating the process,
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Building the prototype with locally available materials.
🎯 Expected Impact
The prototype is intended to:
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Eliminate the need for risky human labor,
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Reduce cleaning time drastically,
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Be scaled up for commercial high-rise use,
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Offer an affordable solution for property managers and contractors.
By using cheap, locally available materials, the design is accessible for widespread implementation — not just in Nepal, but anywhere affordability and safety are a concern.
👏 A Step Toward Smarter Cities
This project isn’t just about cleaning windows — it's about making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient. It highlights how engineering students can use limited resources to solve real-world problems creatively.
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