Press Release- St. Mark Catholic school takes COVID safety to Next Level, Combines it with STEAM programming for Students

As the first K-12 school in the United States to use this technology (placing it in the company of Walmart and other major retailers), St. Mark and its students benefit from the robot in three ways:

1. The robot helps St. Mark maintain a clean and safe environment for staff and students on campus, exceeding hygiene standards during the current COVID-19 health crisis (when a consistent state of clean is more important than ever), and will continue to do so in the future.

2. The robot frees the school’s maintenance staff to concentrate on other important tasks such as sanitizing high- touch surfaces throughout the day. The BrainOS software is designed to be easily integrated into the school’s cleaning operation, which includes a teach-and-repeat route programming method and an intuitive user interface. This allows the robot to work independently of staff, and allows it to casually pass by students as they go about their day.

3. The fact that the robot utilizes AI technology gives St. Mark an opportunity to use it as an educational tool. Students have the opportunity to see a robot in action and to learn about AI technology firsthand. There are plans for the school’s competitive Robotics team to learn to program it, and students may eventually see an appearance by the robot at a school assembly where it might perform a pre-programmed dance routine (post COVID, of course).

The school’s Early Childhood Education Assistant Principal, Sarah Peralta, took things a step further by creating a “lion” costume for the robot (the school’s mascot), “bringing it to life” for students. The robot was displayed in the school building so students could ”meet” it, and then they were then asked to participate in a school wide contest to “Name That Robot.” The name they chose is LEO, which stands for “Love Each Other.” Not only is LEO a great name for the school’s newest “lion” (St. Mark’s official mascot), but it is also a perfect reflection of the 2020-21 school year theme, which is “Be Kind.” Even before the school year began, communications between the school and its families emphasized how implementing the new COVID-19 protocols, including enhanced cleaning practices, shows kindness and love to the entire community, so the new robot could not have a more fitting name.

St. Mark is the subject of a case study where Get Clean Services will report on the robot’s performance in a school setting and the ways it is utilized for educational purposes.

The BrainOS-powered RoboScrub 20 is manufactured by Minuteman International and supplied with artificial intelligence from software developer Brain Corp. Brain Corp was co-founded by world-renowned computational neuroscientist, Dr. Eugene Izhikevich, and serial tech entrepreneur, Dr. Allen Gruber. The company is developing advanced machine learning and computer vision systems for the next generation of self-driving robots. BrainOS software currently powers more than 10,000 robots worldwide and is the largest fleet of autonomous robots operating in public spaces. Robots powered by BrainOS navigate autonomously, avoid obstacles, adapt to changing environments, manage data, generate reports, and seamlessly interact with end-users and other robots.

St. Mark Catholic School of Plano, Texas is a two-time recipient of the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Award, and was recently recognized as one of the top three Catholic Schools in the United States for technology integration. St. Mark has been educating preschool through eighth grade students in the Catholic traditions of faith, gospel values, and academic excellence since 1982. For more information about St. Mark Catholic School, visit their website at www.stmcs.net, or find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Get Clean Services, LLC is a certified minority-owned business on the forefront of today’s cleaning innovation, utilizing robotics technologies and green cleaning practices to augment a combined 100 years of janitorial leadership service across educational facilities and other market verticals. Championing a data-driven approach to cleaning, Get Clean provides schools with an elevated, measurable approach with a focus on thorough disinfection and sanitation to keep facilities safe for staff and students. Get Clean Services is the first janitorial company to successfully deploy robotic solutions into cleaning operations.