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Whiz by SoftBank Robotics is a commercial robot vacuum built on a trusted AI platform to deliver a higher quality, more efficient clean—with proof of performance. Whiz provides an increased perception of clean in the robotics space that helps to increase people’s confidence in the overall workplace health of an indoor environment, all while driving innovation and gaining efficiencies. Softbank Robotics Connect technology, a SaaS application integrated with Whiz, combines cleaning metrics and data analytics features to help customers prove a confirmed clean. Whiz is powered by BrainOS®, the award-winning autonomous navigation platform.
Overview
Rethink clean with automated solutions that make your space 50% cleaner.
As individuals return to work, facility leaders are transforming the way they think about clean with Whiz, a commercial collaborative robot vacuum for the workplace health space. Powered by BrainOS, the advanced commercial operating system from robotics industry leader Brain Corp., Whiz applies an AI-driven, automation platform to deliver a dynamic, high-quality, and efficient clean—and real-time proof of its superior performance.
Smarter cleaning. Healthier spaces.
Whiz, the commercial robot vacuum, is driving workplace leaders to rethink workplace safety and cleaning by gathering measurable proof of performance as it runs. In boosting cleaning efficiency, productivity, and effectiveness, this AI-driven automated cleaning solution supports healthier spaces for building occupants and workplace safety for cleaners.
User-friendly Whiz works right out of the box.
The agile robot avoids people and other unexpected obstacles while following human-taught routes. It cleans up to 15,000 square feet per charge and notifies operators when it’s done. With the Softbank Robotics Connect dashboard, users gain near-time visibility into when and where cleaning was performed. These usage metrics and other data analytics can improve cleaning efficiency over time and confirm clean for all building occupants. Let your data demonstrate your commitment to a quality clean.
Features
- Award winning AI autonomous navigation software
- User-friendly, proven through global deployments
- Transparent performance results and data analytics with Softbank Robotics Connect technology
- Meets the highest safety standards for human usage and partnership
- Rapid product development cycles for continual improvement
Benefits
Innovation: Leverage robotics and automation to drive brand value, differentiate from the competition, and move your business forward.
Resilience: Reinvent and monitor your physical environment with integrated, adaptable technology and near-time data.
Experience: Meet and exceed occupant expectations to help attract customers and talent, improve productivity, and foster revenue growth in your ecosystem.
Cleanliness: Live healthier in your day-to-day spaces as employees return to work with increased cleaning frequency, coverage, and efficacy and HEPA-grade filtration.
FAQ
Whiz FAQ
Q: WILL WHIZ SAVE OUR COMPANY MONEY AND HOW CAN WE MEASURE THIS?
A: Whiz provides measurable savings from increasing cleanliness by up to 50% and efficiency in time-invested by up to 30%. We provide usage information and target metrics that empower customers to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of their Whiz fleet deployments that gives insights into value and adoption of the solution.
Q: DOES WHIZ OPERATE AUTONOMOUSLY?
A: Yes; once Whiz is trained with routes it runs and operates autonomously. Whiz is a “cobot,” meaning that while it runs autonomously, it requires a human to set it up and then maintain it should it need a battery, bag, brush, or filter replacement. The Softbank Robotics Connect technology is intended to be an interactive experience for customers to drill down specifically into usage data.
Q: HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM ROOMBA AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD VACUUM CLEANERS?
A: Unlike Roomba et al, which are consumer cleaners meant for households, Whiz is a commercial, enterprise-grade solution that combines a robot, leading-edge Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for automating operations, and capturing data analytics. Whiz uses teach and repeat technology which smartly learns the space in order to protect people, the unit itself, and the property. Teach and repeat allows you to efficiently retrain your Whiz unit any time there is a new environmental change. In addition, Whiz provides a measurable proof of performance, or proof of cleaning, with Softbank Robotics Connect, a SaaS application that gives data and insights for each route Whiz performs.
Q: WHICH OPERATIONS DO I NEED TO COMPLETE BEFORE I RUN WHIZ? AFTER?
A: There are a few tasks to complete before and after you run Whiz to ensure optimal usage:
Before:
- Check that Whiz unit is clean.
- Turn on secondary battery.
- Place main battery in Whiz unit.
- Turn on Whiz unit.
- Take pager with you.
After:
- Turn off main power.
- Remove main battery and place on charger.
- Remove and clean blue hopper tray.
- Wipe off cliff sensors with microfiber cloth.
- Turn on secondary battery.
- Place pager on charger.
Q: WHICH OPERATIONS DO I NEED TO COMPLETE ON A DAILY BASIS?
A: Daily Best practices indicate the following:
- Clean the sensors and cameras.
- Check the dust bag for fullness. If it is full, replace with a new bag.
- Dump the debris tray underneath.
- Remove the dust bunnies near the brush.
Q: WHICH OPERATIONS DO I NEED TO COMPLETE ON A WEEKLY BASIS?
A: Best weekly practices indicate the following:
- Inspect HEPA filters, replace if necessary.
- Thoroughly clean and dry hopper tray.
- Inspect and clean brush.
- Clean the brush compartment of the unit.
Q: WHICH ITEMS AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR PURCHASING?
A: Bags, filters, brushes, and additional HLC odes.
Q: HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO CHANGE THE BAGS?
A: Bags are designed to be swapped on a weekly basis. You will see greater bag usage in the first few weeks as your Whiz improves the cleanliness of the floor. The frequency of bag changes will decrease over time with regular Whiz usage.
Q: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WHIZ NEEDS SERVICE OR BREAKS?
A: Service is included in the Whiz subscription package. If it’s equipment failure, we respond within service-level agreement (SLA) timeframes and can swap out your unit. Please have your Whiz RIN number ready for us when you call the myCSA hotline.
Q: HOW DOES WHIZ RECEIVE SOFTWARE UPDATES?
A: We push automatic updates remotely over 3G/4G so your team does not have to worry about it. Email notifications are sent to you for each of these updates, explaining changes and how to ensure proper usage. Any ongoing Whiz service is not affected and the updates take effect automatically the next time Whiz is powered on.
Q: CAN WHIZ RUN ON WIFI?
A: No. Whiz runs only on 3G/4G networks to avoid other edge devices on customers’ secure network.
Q: HOW DOES WHIZ PERFORM AROUND SLOPED OR STEPPED SURFACES?
A: Whiz may tip or fall over if running on or too close to steps, angled floors, or uneven surfaces. Grooves between floors, grates or other lids/covers, escalators, elevators, moving walkways, braille blocks, and thick rugs should be avoided while mapping routes. If there is a risk of Whiz entering such an area along its route, please either set a physical barrier to block it, or ensure Whiz is supervised while it is running. If Whiz enters a vertical or horizontal transportation mechanism (e.g. escalator, moving walkway) there is a risk of it falling on, blocking, or falling down the space and damaging the structure, or the unit itself.
Q: WHAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR WHIZ BARRIERS?
A: When barriers are required, such as for the uneven surfaces described above, they should meet the following criteria. Please note that even though Whiz is equipped with cliff detection sensors, the sensors may not detect downward spaces less than 6 cm (2.5 inches) in height.
- The barrier should be more than 8 inches tall.
- The barrier must be heavy and stable enough to not fall or move when hit by the machine’s front bumper.
- The barrier must be wide enough so that Whiz cannot enter through any gaps.
- The surface of the barrier cannot be reflective (e.g. mirror) or light-transmitting (e.g. glass, net, fence).
Q: WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO AVOID FALSE DETECTIONS FROM MY WHIZ UNIT?
A: To avoid “Path is Blocked” and “Robot Is Off Path” situations, please make sure Whiz’s path is clear of obstacles such as chairs, trash cans, recycling bins, etc. Cleaning sensors regularly will help avoid false detections.
Softbank Robotics Connect FAQ
Q: WHAT DOES THE Softbank Robotics Connect TECHNOLOGY SHOW ME ABOUT WHIZ ROUTES?
A: Softbank Robotics Connect gives you an overview of all the routes run by Whiz, including when they were run, how long they took, how many assists were required and a map outlining both the trained and autonomously run route. This provides you with a confirmation of the clean to take the guesswork out of where, when and how your carpets have been cleaned.
Q: HOW EASY IS IT FOR ME (CUSTOMER) TO SEE MY WHIZ FLEET?
A: Admin users can view the details of their fleet in the “Robots” tab of Softbank Robotics Connect.
Q: CAN I CHANGE THE TIME PERIODS FOR THE DATA I WANT TO SEE?
A: Yes, you can change the dates but not the times.
DATA:
Q: WHAT TYPES OF DATA/METRICS WILL I RECEIVE?
A: Several metrics including:
- Total run-time
- Time spent training
- Time spent running autonomously
- Area covered (square feet)
- Distance covered (feet)
- Number of assists
- Type of assists
- ROI information and route maps
Q: CAN THE DATA/METRICS MENTIONED ABOVE BE EXPORTED?
A: Yes, Softbank Robotics Connect data can be exported as a PDF file.
REPORTS, ANALYTICS/INSIGHTS:
Q: WHICH REPORTS COME OOB (OUT OF THE BOX)?
A: We have several reports that come OOB. An “overview report” that includes usage coverage and time, assists and number of routes run. A “route run report” provides information on the routes run by the robot.
Q: CAN I CUSTOMIZE REPORTS ? CAN I CREATE MY OWN?
A: Yes, you can adjust the time frame and view data by location and other user generated labels.
Q: WHAT ARE EXAMPLE QUESTIONS THAT THE DATA/REPORTING CAN ANSWER/ADDRESS?
A: Here are a few examples:
- “When was cleaning performed?”
- “Where was cleaning performed?”
- “How thorough was the cleaning on a given route?”
- “What routes might need retraining?”
- “How might I improve overall utilizations of Whiz?”
SMS NOTIFICATIONS:
Q: WHICH TYPES OF NOTIFICATIONS WILL I RECEIVE?
A: You will receive messages regarding assists, start and end of a route, and more. You will have full control over when you want to receive these messages.
Q: HOW DO I TURN SMS NOTIFICATIONS FOR MY WHIZ UNIT ON/OFF?
A: For a robot operator to be subscribed to SMS, there are two simple steps to follow:
Step 1: Activating
This needs to be done by an admin user at your company. If you don't know who that is, contact the Canon Solutions America HelpDesk for assistance, and we will be happy to help.
- Go to the Subscriptions tab in Softbank Robotics Connect
- Select Add Subscription
- Enter the business phone number that will receive messages
- Select the robots associated with the number
- You only need to do this once per phone number.
Step 2: Subscribing
Now that the phone number has been added to our system, the owner of that phone needs to text the number listed in the Subscriptions tab in order to opt in or out of notifications.
Text “START” to Subscribe
Text "STOP" to Unsubscribe
Q: CAN I RE-SUBSCRIBE TO MY NOTIFICATIONS?
A: Yes. When you no longer want to see these messages, text “STOP” to the same number to unsubscribe. Your subscription can be stopped and reactivated as frequently as needed. To re-subscribe, please follow the same steps listed above.
Whiz EZ Setup FAQ
Q: WHAT IS EZ SETUP?
A: EZ Setup allows you to map just the perimeter of your cleaning area, and Whiz will fill in the blanks. This is a much simpler way for you to map routes and is available in Whiz devices with Brain OS 1.9 or later.
Q: WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM SIZE OF THE AREA FOR A MAP TO BE CREATED USING EZ SETUP?
A: The maximum size of the area for a map to be created using EZ Setup is 10m x 100m, and the recommended specification is less than 10m x 100m (less than 32 ft x 328 ft) meaning that one side must be 10m (32 ft) or less.
Q: HOW DO I USE EZ SETUP TO CREATE A MAP?
A: The map will be created in the following steps:
- Select “Teach Boundary” on the teach mode screen
- Make a roundtrip starting with the longest side
- Return to HLC in the shortest distance from the end point
- Tell the unit if you want to vacuum normal or high mode at least once during the route.
Note: As long as you turn the vacuum on or off once during the route, that setting will be applied to the entire route in EZ-Setup.
Safety Notice: Whiz may tip or fall over if running on or too close to steps, angled floor, or uneven surfaces. Grooves between different floorings, grates or other lids or covers, escalators, elevators, moving walkways, braille blocks, and thick rugs should be avoided while mapping routes. If there is a risk of Whiz entering such an area along its route, please either set a physical barrier to block it, or ensure Whiz is supervised while it is running. If Whiz enters a vertical or horizontal transportation mechanism (e.g. escalator, moving walkway) there is a risk of it falling on, blocking, or falling down the space and damaging the structure, or the unit itself. Please see the “Whiz” section of the FAQ to learn more about the types of barriers we suggest for Whiz units.
Q: WHAT IF THE SAME BOUNDARY WAS MADE TWICE?
A: If the boundary was covered twice during EZ Setup, it will create a map that will not clean inside the boundary.
Q: HOW DO I DISTINGUISH AN EZ SETUP CLEANING ROUTE FROM A NORMAL CLEANING ROUTE?
A: There is no difference between starting autonomous cleaning with EZ Setup and normal cleaning. To distinguish each route, the banner is colored blue for routes mapped by EZ Setup and colored grey for routes mapped by normal cleaning.
Q: WHICH POWER MODE WILL WHIZ USE WHILE RUNNING ROUTES MAPPED WITH EZ SETUP?
A: With normal cleaning, the power mode the vacuum uses will reflect the modes the operator used while teaching the route. However, with EZ Setup, the vacuum will use either normal or power mode. Moreover, even if the vacuum mode was switched during teaching, and if power mode was used even once, the entire route would run in power mode.
Q: WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF BOUNDARIES?
A: Boundaries that don’t have obstacles and follow the measurement guidelines are considered good boundaries; those with obstacles are not recommended.
Recommended Boundaries:
Not Recommended Boundaries:
Q: WHAT KINDS OF BOUNDARIES ARE NOT ALLOWED?
A: Loops and concentric circles are not allowed. Complex shapes that cross paths (pictured below) are also not allowed.
Q: Who do I call when the robot fails at a customer location?
A:Customers should always contact support via myCSA.csa.canon.com.
Q: Who do I call for post-sales support?
A:Customers should be directed to contact the CSA Helpdesk themselves via myCSA. If the CSA Helpdesk cannot resolve the issue they will refer the client to Canon Robotics Support. Sales reps are not permitted to contact post-sales support on behalf of the customer, as this only delays communication with the customer to resolve the issue.
Support
Softbank Robotics Connect
Softbank Robotics Connect technology is a cloud application integrated with every Whiz Robot. Softbank Robotics Connect combines cleaning metrics and data analytics features to help monitor and improve your workplace safety. As the digital extension of Whiz, Softbank Robotics Connect is the enterprise-grade application platform that enables continuous data delivery for the health and safety of indoor spaces. Softbank Robotics Connect centralizes customer automation portfolios, empowering users and stakeholders to make informed decisions on their occupant experience, optimize their Whiz fleet, and quantify the value of robotics in their workplace. Overall, this information allows Whiz to deliver a higher level of service to your space, providing a level of validation and trust not typically possible with other products.
Order Consumables and Supplies
LOGIN: mycsa.csa.canon.com | CUSTOMER SUPPORT: 855-355-2365 | EMAIL: mycsa@csa.canon.com
Support is available to all customers who register on myCSA for ordering supplies and consumables. Others may contact the Canon Solutions America Helpdesk for ordering, general issues and questions. Customers who contact CSA for troubleshooting and repair issues will be transferred to Canon Robotics Support
Troubleshooting and Repairs
Canon Robotics Support | M-F 9AM- 8PM EST | Customer Support: 855.833.5899 | EMAIL: canon_robotics_support@cusa.canon.com
Canon Robotics Support is your first line of contact for all repair issues. Canon Robotics Support staff will provide live service and troubleshooting support.
Product Videos
Get a quick overview of Whiz, by SoftBank Robotics, Canon Solutions America’s newest offering in the Workplace Health Solutions portfolio.
Learn about the potential return on investment and benefits of Whiz, the commercial robot vacuum from SoftBank Robotics.
See just how easy it is to setup Whiz, the commercial robot vacuum, with one of SoftBank Robotics’ Automation Experts, Dezrah Blinn.
Customer Testimonials
The Garden City Hotel Testimonial
The Garden City Hotel, one of Long Island, New York’s premier landmarks and retreats, is among many properties throughout the country to have recently experienced pandemic-related staff shortages. Searching for a solution to support and enhance its 147-year legacy of excellent guest service and spotless accommodations, hotel management directed their attention to enlisting a smart robotic vacuum to overcome the challenges of a limited staff. Watch the video to see how they support cleanliness and productivity by utilizing Whiz by SoftBank Robotics’ AI-driven platform.