Korea Seeks To Blast Home Owners With Robot Window Cleaner

Korean robotics industry picks up steam: Korea’s robotics industry is picking up steam as government-led pilot programs are spurring sales and exports, while carving out new niches in the fledgling market. About 200 local robotics firms are expected to have generated at least 2 trillion won ($1.77 billion) in output last year, an official at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday, citing preliminary data. The ministry plans to release the final figures as early as June. Yet the tally is up about 12 percent from 2010 and more than 240 percent from 2008.

The ministry attributed the upbeat results to a 2011 pan-government scheme to cultivate robotics as one of the country’s key growth industries. Seven ministries including industry, welfare and environment have been funneling in 15 billion won since then to expand the use of robotics into areas ranging from education and agriculture to medical and defense, shifting their focus from manufacturing. The country had been shoring up the burgeoning industry by investing 75 billion won since 2002. But the funds were mostly channeled into developing assembly robots, officials said.

In last year’s pilot programs, robots were deployed for small-scale manufacturing, teaching, firefighting, demining, sewage repairs and patrolling danger zones, among other tasks. The project led Curexo, a local startup, to add 3.53 billion won in sales by selling high-tech robotic equipment for artificial joint operations to hospitals in Korea and India.



In another development, Ilshim Global in August sealed two deals worth 4.4 billion won with Euroboats of Germany and Ezicom of France to supply a combined 20,000 units of window cleaning robots. Other companies such as Yujin Robot, Gaha and ED are discussing exports with clients in countries like New Zealand, Finland and Denmark after demonstrating their products for health care and education services at nursing homes there. “The programs helped Korean firms open up new markets, branch out abroad and boost the use of robots across industries,” the ministry said in a statement.

Seeking to expedite commercial production and induce more private investment, the economy ministry said it plans to select other promising developers for the 22.4 billion won initiative. Korea tails Japan, Germany and the U.S. in the global robots industry, which is forecast to grow to $100 billion in 2018 from $5.7 billion in 2010, according to the International Federation of Robotics. The Frankfurt-based industry body picked Korea as one of the most dynamic robot markets along with China and the ASEAN countries. In 2010, Korean firms sold some 23,500 robots at home and abroad, more than triple the 2009 level, it estimated. “Huge investments made by the electronics industry and the motor vehicle industry were mostly responsible for this large increase in robot sales,” the IFR said.

Metra Martech, a London-based research firm, noted that the robotics industry helped create up to 5 million jobs worldwide in recent years and remains a major force behind employment growth. The mainstay of the high value-added industry is also shifting to service robots, which help with household and office chores and other professional missions including surgery, navigation, milking, teaching and military operations, it added.  In December 2010, the ministry unveiled a comprehensive package to underpin the nascent service robotics industry. It will spend 30 billion won for development, commercialization, standardization and marketing by 2017.

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Exclusive Jaret Premiere + Other Window Cleaning Videos

The New Star of WCR - hot off the press: 11 year old Jaret of "Jarets Window Cleaning" from Akron, Ohio maybe the youngest window cleaner going! This Video can be watched in high resolution from tomorrow at the Window Cleaning Resource website.
Video1, Video2, Video3.

Some professional window cleaning gear might be needed in Chong-ro in Seoul, Korea. Still not had enough? Watch speed cleaning in Sweden with Ivan Bengtsson at the squeegee speed comps'.

Homeowners with garage squeegees & pipe..

Health & safety at it's worse "just to keep you on your toes" & quite seasonal as well for this time of year! - Count the mistakes..

Mark Strange of "Beautiful View" from Toronto, Canada gives us another installment with a few more unbiased reviews of products from Window Cleaning Resource in the window cleaners workplace.

Video of a story from yesterday featuring Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons & Extreme Clean 88..

Intense training before gutter cleaning season at WCR..

A fascination for Unger window cleaning equipment...

Guy Greco, the Fastest Squeegee & Dustmasks

A window washer at the 63 Building in Yeouido wears a mask and a towel to protect his lungs from the yellow dust that hits Korea every year. The yellow dust originates in the Gobi Desert, which covers Mongolia and parts of northern China. South Korea regularly plants trees in these areas to slow the dust’s drift into South Korean skies.

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Stefan is UK's Fastest Window Cleaner: SPEEDY window cleaner Stefan Tinkler (pictured right) outshone all his rivals when he cleaned up in a national competition. Mr Tinkler (37), whose business is based in Woodston, Peterborough, has just won the title of UK's Fastest Window Cleaner after a tough battle against 60 other window cleaners from across the country. The city man, who has been putting the shine on windows at hundreds of homes and businesses across Peterborough for 25 years, has won the title for the second year running. During a tough contest at the NEC, in Birmingham, Mr Tinkler cleaned up three panes of glass measuring 45ins by 45ins in a stunning time of 15 seconds and so knocking two seconds of his winning time last year. And Mr Tinkler, who runs Allclear Without a Smear and has even built his own training window to practise for competitions, says the secret of his success is to use two hands. He said: "The trick is to apply the wash with one hand and then quickly take it off with the 'blade' with the other hand." He added: "It give me a good buzz to win the title again. "And I always mention it when I am out calling for new business." And it was a double celebration for Mr Tinkler's firm, as his business partner, Peter Rootham (pictured left), came second in the contest. But Mr Tinkler is not content with simply being UK champion, as he is aiming to break the world record. In 2008, he was disappointed when an international event, due to be held in Amsterdam, was cancelled. This year, he has his sights set on attempting to break the world's best time at a Window Federation show in Blackpool in October. "It gives me six months to practise on my practice windows," said Mr Tinkler.
The current world record is held by Terry "Turbo" Burrows, who set his impressive time of 9.24 seconds in England in 2005. Time penalties are deducted for any water marks left on the glass, and contestants are limited to a maximum squeegee size of 12ins. Mr Tinkler, who cleans the windows of 400 homes and businesses in Peterborough, says he has washed windows all over the city, since he started at the tender age of 13 helping his grandad on his round. You may remember Stefan from previous blogs.
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Rising to the challenge after a life-changing fall: Levittown - Coming home is a happy, albeit challenging, phase for a Hilltown man who was paralyzed following a 28-foot plunge from a ladder. Guy Greco returned home about a month and a half ago, but in many ways it's like he entered a new world. The Hilltown man survived a 28-foot fall late last year, but the accident left him permanently paralyzed from the chest down. Greco crushed several vertebrae and severed his spinal cord after tumbling from an extension ladder where he was power washing a window. He spent months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, where doctors fused several of his vertebrae and inserted titanium rods into his back for stability. Physical therapists taught him how to maneuver in a wheelchair and worked with him to strengthen his arm and shoulder muscles.
On Jan. 28, the former UPS driver was released from Magee Rehabilitation in Center City Philadelphia. "You're going into the unknown," Greco said of his homecoming. He must relearn the most basic of tasks: getting out of bed in the morning, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, taking a shower. He goes to outpatient therapy three times a week to help him improve his balance, conditioning and strength. "Things that took you five minutes before, take you 40 minutes," said Greco, adding that his daily routine is comparable to "a work day." "You really take for granted a lot of stuff, just normal, everyday stuff," he said. Before the accident, "I was pretty handy around the house. It's very frustrating." His goal, however, is to regain his independence, a goal that he and his family see as difficult, but attainable. "I know him. I know he's going to drive. I know he'll get himself some kind of job," said his wife, Sue. "He's not one to sit and be waited on." But the past few weeks have been more about making the transition from hospital to home.
"At the hospital, if you need something, there's always someone there," Guy said. Though his wife and three daughters are around to help in the mornings and evenings, during the day he is on his own. At night, he has to set an alarm to go off at regular intervals and shift his body to keep from getting bedsores. He also has to be careful not to fall when he's getting into or out of his chair. That happened once at Magee, and Guy was rushed back to the hospital to make sure the titanium rods in his back hadn't been bent. There are a lot of things to worry about, not the least of which are the medical bills that will continue to pile up. The Grecos have a $1 million lifetime cap on their health insurance, but says Guy: "We hit that cap pretty fast."
One thing they didn't have to worry about was where Guy would sleep when he came home.
A $30,000 renovation transformed the Grecos' living room into a bedroom and handicapped-accessible bathroom for Guy. Contractors also have been installing a wheelchair ramp and path leading from their front door. The Grecos will be paying a portion of those costs, but much of the work was donated by the builders."This whole thing is a godsend," Sue said.
And the community support that started after Guy was flown to Temple University Hospital last year has not yet abated. People call every day asking how they can help, the Grecos said. Others have left warm messages of encouragement on the guestbook of a Web site set up for Guy. Friends still bring the family dinner twice a week. Fundraisers are still being planned and organized. "It gives you a good feeling," Sue said. "That's what helped us get through a lot of it, friends and family." Recent decisions on a national scale have also brought the family hope: President Obama lifted restrictions on stem cell research last week. "I'm looking forward to all the stem cell research that's going to happen," Guy said. Theresa Hegel can be reached on the web & at 215-538-6381 or thegel@phillyBurbs.com.
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