Cleaning robot Franzi makes sure the floors of the Munich hospital where he works are clean and has taken on a new role during the pandemic: cheering up patients and staff.
“Can you move, please? I have to clean up,” shouts a robot rather chatty (in German of course) when people block her pre-planned cleaning path.
“You have to move! I really want to clean!” he shouts at those who still don't get out of the way. And if that doesn't work, copious digital tears begin to flow from her bright LED eyes.
Surrogate of humanity
“Visitors are not allowed due to the pandemic, so Franzi keeps the patients company,” he says Constance Rettler ofcompany of the same name. Rettler is in fact responsible for cleaning the Neuperlach hospital, and provided the talkative robot that cleans and "entertains".
When she's not busy babbling, Franzi moves around the clinic's lobby three times a day. Her “feet” automatically wash the floors. Amused patients take photos of her, some even stop to chat with the chatty one-metre-tall camera.
“Ah, there you are my friend,” shouts an old lady with an IV in her arm as she sees Franzi.
“One of our recent patients came in three times a day to talk to her,” she smiles Tanya Zacherl, who oversees the hospital's maintenance.
A talkative extra employee
Created by a company in Singapore, Franzi was originally called Ella and spoke English before arriving in Monaco earlier this year.
Franzi can express frustration by shedding tears from her LED eyes
Yet his German is perfect (otherwise what talkative robot would he be?) while he tells his interviewers that he "would never want to grow up" and that cleaning is his passion.
Here she is in action (video in German).
When required, he can also sing classic German pop songs and even rap.
Rettler is adamant that the robot is not taking jobs away from real humans, but that it can “support” its flesh-and-blood colleagues, and perhaps supplement staffing shortages caused by the coronavirus.
With the pandemic, there is a lot of extra disinfection work to be done in hospitals. While Franzi cleans the floors, our employees can focus on health aspects
Constance Rettler
However, the robot still has its limitations. She is still unable to enter tight corners and, if she hits an obstacle, she bursts into tears and freezes until she is rescued by a human.
Despite these problems, Franzi also has a reason to be cheerful. After a test phase lasting several weeks, the talkative machine seems to have settled in at Neuperlach Hospital.
