It seems that there is no end to innovative and imaginative uses and applications for drones. SkyDweller Technologies of Victoria, British Columbia, founded just last July, is using a drone to wash building façades and windows for just a fraction of the cost of conventional methods.
A recent project involved cleaning the mildew off the exterior of Victoria General Hospital. “After 40 years, this building has been covered in a black mildew that has built up,” said the hospital’s maintenance manager Rob Wishart during an interview with CBC News. “It was time to get that cleaned up.”
According to SkyDweller founder Mike Africh, safety was a key consideration in introducing drones to the building-cleaning and window-washing market. WorkSafe BC, the provincial workers compensation board, reported that there were more than 300 long- and short-term disability claims in that sector from 2014 to 2023, as well as a fatality when a worker’s washing wand came in contact with power lines.
“All of our pilots are on the ground,” said Africh. “The drones don’t get tired. They may need a battery swap, but with people and pressure washing, you may have a lot of streaks that pop up from individuals who aren’t doing a consistent job.” Africh also cites the financial savings, estimating that the work he performed would have cost the hospital 10 times more. That no scaffolding is needed, as was the procedure previously employed, represented a huge savings, according to Africh.
Brian Canning is SkyDweller’s chief pilot and has been piloting drones for more than 10 years. “It’s never boring; there’s always new things to figure out, how to manoeuvre drones around structures.”
Similar services are also available in other parts of Canada, including in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
Watch our featured video this week to see more of the washing drone in action.