Emirati Aims To Clean Up

An automated, unmanned window cleaning system for washing the exterior surfaces and windows on high-rise buildings

Emirati aims to clean up with his window cleaning invention: Emirati Ahmed Ali Alshehhi, 35, has had his own workshop at his home in Ras Al Khaimah since he was in primary school. In 2002, while studying electrical engineering at Valparaiso University in the United States, he proved his flair for innovation by beating 140 other contestants from all over the world in a robotics competition with his creation – a firefighting robot.

Two years later, while working as an engineer in Abu Dhabi, he began noticing newly built skyscrapers around him and their window cleaners – and the extreme conditions under which they work. “It’s such a slow and risky process,” he says. “In Dubai, it’s the number-one source of industrial accidents. Inventors from all over the world have come up with several technologies to overcome this problem, but no technology has yet been able to widely penetrate the market safely and effectively.”

Alshehhi decided to have a go himself, designing an automated, unmanned cleaning system for washing the exterior surfaces and windows on high-rise buildings, with a very lofty goal. “I am focusing my built-up skills towards innovation that shall positively serve humanity in a better way,” he explains.

Ahmed Ali Alshehhi at the Takreer Research Centre in Abu Dhabi.

He started by building and testing several mini prototypes. In 2011, with a view to turning his invention into a sustainable business, he hired AGIP to file his patent application in several countries where the technology has potential. “After nearly three years I got my US patent and later the Canadian patent,” he says. “It is still ongoing in the UAE and elsewhere.”

As a full-time engineer, Alshehhi has found it difficult to find the time to obtain the resources he needs. The project has so far cost him about Dh750,000 out of his own pocket, but he has had support from Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee for the US aspects of the process, and from his employer Takreer, or the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company.

Last year, he built and tested a full-scale functional prototype, with good results. “Compared with manual cleaning, my system is eight to 10 times faster and also much safer, cheaper and more environmentally friendly,” he says. “I am now working on further improvements.”

Chicago Failed Scaffolding Platform

All three made it inside the building through a window before fire crews arrived and were evaluated for injuries, according to the Chicago Fire Department. No one was hurt.

No one hurt after scaffold malfunction at Civic Opera building: No one was injured when a scaffold malfunctioned outside the Civic Opera House on Friday afternoon in the Loop.

Rescue crews were called to the building at 20 N. Wacker after a scaffold malfunctioned on the 16th floor, Fire Media Affairs said at 2:43 p.m. Three workers were able to get inside through windows before fire crews arrived.

Workers were medically evaluated on the scene and were uninjured, the fire department said. The platform has since been lowered to the ground for evaluation and repair.

Window Cleaner Breaks World Record - 53rd marathon in 53 days

Incredibly, he is only just over half way through his mammoth challenge of running 90 marathons in 90 days.

Superfit window cleaner breaks record by completing 53rd marathon in 53 days: Inspirational Mark Vaz, 31, crossed the finish line at the Black Country Museum in Dudley, West Midlands, after a massive 28 mile run. Incredibly, he is only just over half way through his mammoth challenge of running 90 marathons in 90 days. Today marks 60 years since the first edition of Guinness World Records was published.

Click to enlarge. 90 marathons in 90 consecutive days, a total of 2,340 miles.

Mark, who is completing his daily runs around his window cleaning round, has pounded pavements and paths across the UK for more than 1,500 miles in just over 265 hours so far. He hopes to raise £90,000 for a baby charity after his wife Tammy, 31, suffered seven miscarriages in eight years.

Speaking after he completed his record-breaking 53rd marathon yesterday, Mark said the runs have left his body racked with pain. He has also lost a stone and a half since starting his epic fundraiser on July 7 because he cannot physically eat enough food to replace the 3,000 calories he is burning every day. Mark, from Penkridge, Staffs., said: “I’m really happy to have achieved this.”

A total of 2,340 miles. Or put it another way, more or less what the average motorist will drive in their car over that period. And that's not all. There will be no respite during the hours in between his marathon runs. The 31-year-old, will be carrying on with his window cleaning rounds throughout the gruelling three-month period. Although he will be allowing himself the luxury of travelling to jobs in his van.

Marathon running window cleaner breaks world record: A window cleaner from Staffordshire has broken a Guinness World Record after running 53 marathons in 53 days. Mark Vaz, from Penkridge, was cheered on by crowds as he crossed the line at the Black Country Living Museum, taking him over the current record of 52. He hopes to complete 90 marathons in 90 days to raise awareness about miscarriage after his wife Tammy suffered her seventh earlier this year. Tammy, who greeted him with a kiss after his 53rd marathon, said she was "really proud".

Living Smart: Should I Get Professional Window Cleaning?

Mike Giustino, owner of Affordable Window Cleaning in Round Lake, Ill. Giustino says he can finish a project that would take a homeowner five hours in less than half the time.

Living Smart: Should I get a professional window cleaning? (By Shannon Antinori) - Clean windows can make your home brighter and improve its overall appearance. A professional window cleaning can also provide an early warning of potentially dangerous problems, according to owner Bill Volkart of Dazzle Services in Cincinnati, Ohio. Here are some reasons you should consider hiring a professional window cleaning service to keep your windows sparkling and functional.

1. Saving time Cleaning your windows can be a time-consuming project, according to Mike Giustino, owner of Affordable Window Cleaning in Round Lake, Ill. Giustino says he can finish a project that would take a homeowner five hours in less than half the time.

2. Spotting general problems A professional window washer can identify problems such as sashes that are painted shut, ill-fitting window screens, wood rot on windowsills or damaged or non-functional windows. Spotting the problems early can often save you a big expense later, Volkart says - and it could even save your life. "Little things like painted sashes and clogged channels might spell the difference between getting out in case of fire or being forced to take another way out of danger in a very stressful situation," Volkart says.

3. Removing insect infestations Bees and hornets sometimes build nests behind window shutters, and wasps can build paper nests between three-piece storm windows, according to Volkart. Ladybugs also can build nests in channels, making the windows hard to operate.

4. Extending the life of a window "Old aluminum screens left in place for years gradually etch a pattern of deposits on the glass, much like lime deposits in the shower," Volkart says. The etched glass is not only unattractive, but it is also more prone to cracks and chips. A professional window washer can restore the glass and extend your window's life with a treatment of muriatic acid or, in less severe cases, Bar Keepers Friend and grade 0000 steel wool, he says.

5. Providing the right window cleaning supplies and tools Professional window cleaners can ensure that the right products are used to clean glass without damaging it. If you have leaded glass or stained glass, you may be unintentionally damaging it by using an ammonia-based window cleaner, Volkart says. With repeated use, an ammonia-based cleaner can cloud leaded and stained-glass windows, and the damage can't be repaired, he cautions. Professional window washers also have the right equipment, such as ladders and telescoping window-washing tools, to safely clean hard-to-reach windows, according to Giustino.

6. Finding the cause of spots on your windows Puzzled about what's causing the spots on your glass? Your mulch may be to blame, Volkart says. "Cheap mulches often are infested with a fungus aptly named shotgun fungus," he explains. "When mature, the fungus shoots out black spores that glue themselves to glass and vinyl siding and are very hard to remove completely." A professional window-cleaning service can pinpoint the cause of the problem, and replacing your mulch with a higher-quality product can help your windows and siding stay cleaner and last longer, according to Volkart.

Before you hire a window cleaner How much window cleaning costs varies, but Volkart says you usually get what you pay for. Anyone with a bucket, squeegee and window mop can call himself or herself a window cleaner. "Ask questions before you hire just anyone," he advises. "A true professional will make sure your windows are not only clean, but functional and will advise you on ways to protect the biggest investment most people ever make - their home."

Giustino, who recommends getting your windows cleaned at least once per year, says it's important to ask for references and read reviews before hiring a window washer. "Ask them how long they've been in the business," he says. Giustino also recommends asking companies whether they clean windows with a hose or a power washer, and what types of products they use to wash windows.

High Rise Window Washers of Manhattan Video

The men who provided their perspectives on it for this film, lifelong New Yorkers John McDermott and John Wren, turned out to be both completely sane and highly safety-conscious.

High-Rise-Window Washers of Manhattan: High rise window washing, once among the most dangerous jobs in the world, has become extremely safe, statistically speaking. Still, the gig remains capable of producing Youtube clips to make you weak at the knees, most memorably a harrowing mishap at the top of a hundred-and-one-story building in Shanghai, and an equally unpleasant situation in Denver. Never mind that, miraculously, nobody died in either case; the profession’s few remaining dangers are so spectacular—and the fears they cause so primal—that, to the casual observer, it is still the province of daredevils and lunatics.

For me, the opportunity to explore such a world was irresistible, even if the men who provided their perspectives on it for this film, lifelong New Yorkers John McDermott and John Wren, turned out to be both completely sane and highly safety-conscious. (Though, by their own accounts, they may not have entered the profession that way, thirty years ago.) The result—based on a 2013 piece in these pages and the product of the hard work of various producers and cameramen—also led me to an uneasy realization: When these men began window washing three decades ago, it was an accepted premise of American life that, through unions and union membership, an aspiring musician (McDermott) and a young baseball player with a career-ending injury (Wren) could take blue-collar jobs and eventually be afforded, through hard work, a middle-class quality of life. Today, with unions under renewed attack, the biggest threat to window washers comes no longer from gods but from mere mortals.

New Energy Technologies - Electricity With Every Window

New energy technologies want to make electricity with every window

New Energy Technologies want to make electricity with every window: American company, new energy technologies is developing electricity generating transparent windows and products for america’s 85 million detached homes and commercial buildings. Their mission has been to create solar windows which produce impressive amounts of clean electricity, that benefit the environment and the building landscape. The team developed a coating capable of generating electricity on glass and flexible plastics that is processed uniformly in different color tints. these polymer organic photovoltaic arrays are clear and only capture UV rays which can be scaled up and have unparalleled manufacturablilty. 

Researchers view through electricity generating ‘solarwindow’

Unlike traditional building applied photovoltaic systems, restricted to use in direct sunlight on very limited skyscraper rooftop space, their ‘solarwindow’ is designed to operate in sunlight, shaded conditions and artificial light on the many thousands of square feet of glass surfaces common to today’s high rise towers. the technology is the subject of forty two patent filings, and researchers are on the track to advance the project towards full scale production. 

They are being developed in architecturally-neutral colors

They can tint in custom colors

The clear film only captures UV light

Testing the film using artificial light

Can be applied on traditional skyscraper windows

The president is pushing a clean energy loan guarantee program, which helped electric car success story Tesla, but also failed solar company, Solyndra. President Obama just announced a series of initiatives to encourage solar and other green technologies, as he tries to spur development of cleaner power sources.

The push will involve more than $1 billion in government funds to back new clean energy and energy efficiency projects along with funding research and development of new energy technologies. While the individual actions are small, Obama’s overarching plan and public pitch shows his growing attention to both clean energy, as well as initiatives to fight climate change. In his final term in office, Obama is now focused on a legacy committed to climate change, and recently finalized a highly controversial plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power industry.

Obama formally unveiled the plan Monday afternoon in Las Vegas at a clean energy-focused conference sponsored by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). The White House released details about the address earlier in the day.

The Energy Department will oversee many of the new initiatives including another $1 billion for its loan program that has previously been both lauded and vilified. The agency previously gave loans to electric car company Tesla and the large solar farm Ivanpah, but also to failed solar panel maker Solyndra, which created a political firestorm with Republicans who criticized the administration for wasting taxpayer money on a flimsy business.

The loan program has made $30 billion in total commitments over the years to get new nuclear, solar and wind projects built, or new green technologies from big companies like Nissan or smaller companies like Tesla. Many of the very large solar panel projects built in the deserts of California and Nevada made use of these loans.

At the same time, the Energy Department clarified that the loan program can now be used to fund “distributed energy” projects, which are decentralized technologies like roof top solar panels, batteries in buildings or connected to the power grid, or adding computing intelligence to the grid. Much of the clean energy projects that have historically used the loans have been large “centralized” energy projects, which involve a utility buying and distributing the energy to its customers.

Save The Americans

"Save the Americans" campaign: The advertising concept brings Costa Rica to Los Angeles by using window washers  suspended platforms showcasing the sloth mascot along with the message: “Cubicle. Cage. What’s the difference?”

Send In The Sloths - Costa Rica Touts Its Wildlife To Lure Tourists: Last year, Costa Rica Tourism Board and its agency 22squared launched the "Save the Americans" campaign to convey that Americans in Canada and the U.S. are overworked and under-vacationed and Costa Rica is the solution for their vacation deprivation. 

Now, this campaign is taking to the streets. The concept brings Costa Rica to Los Angeles by using window washers and their suspended window washing platforms to deliver messages with the campaign’s spokesperson, the sloth.  

"Since there’s a heavy portion of our target audience in LA, and there are direct flights to Costa Rica, LA seemed like a perfect fit," says Curt Mueller, SVP, Group Creative Director, at 22squared. “Our mission is simple: Use Costa Rican animals, like the sloth, to convince overworked Americans to come to Costa Rica for a much-needed vacation. So, with ‘Save the Americans’, we’ve challenged ourselves to find innovative ways and new places to reach these Americans. We’ve reached them through music videos, a Twitter campaign called ‘Endangered Tweets’, sand sculptures near Wall Street in New York City, and now, in office buildings in downtown LA. 

Take a photo to win a holiday.

Having the animals reach out to overworked Americans where they work, and when they’re feeling overworked, has been a major reason for the success of the ‘Save the Americans’ campaign.” The campaign appears on 3333 Wilshire Blvd, a 13-story office building in Los Angeles on busy Wilshire Blvd, as well as on the ground surrounding the building. Messages include “Attention Tenants: We will be washing the windows today. Watch for sloths” and “Staring out the window during work isn’t productive. That will change tomorrow.”

In addition, window washer's suspended platforms showcase the sloth mascot along with the message: “Cubicle. Cage. What’s the difference?” 

Those walking by these images are invited to take a photo and share it using the  #SlothSweepstakes hashtag for a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica. Finally, on August 25, the campaign will release video showcasing office workers' reactions to a sloth showing up on their windows, as well as their moments when they enter to win a trip to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica spent $3.3 million on its Save The Americans campaign last year.

“From what we’ve seen in the building and on social media, people are loving the ‘Window Washing’ campaign so far," says Mueller. "We teased the idea in the building’s lobby and elevators the day before, and there was a lot of curiosity. In general, it’s hard not to love a six foot sloth who appears outside your office window, offering trips to Costa Rica.”

While it remains too early to tell if this campaign will actually translate into increased visitors, the previous Save the Americans initiatives have been effective. Costa Rica spent $3.3 million on its Save The Americans campaign last year and Tourism Ministry officials say that revenues from Costa Rica’s travel sector last year totaled $2.6 billion in 2014, an 8.3% increase over the $2.4 billion registered in 2013. There were more than 2.53 million international arrivals last year, an increase of 4.1% over the previous year. 22squared has been working with The Costa Rica Tourism board for five years.