Since students have returned to Huntley after winter break, they have noticed a new large device that has been seen in several areas downstairs, parked and on the move, throughout the day.
A robot cleaner is placed in the school on a trial run to assess whether or not Huntley High School will benefit from a new friend.
A contract between Huntley and Global Commercial Cleaning Services Company (GSF) gave the high school the opportunity to participate in the testing of the cleaning robot for a period of time.
“The week that it was here was just a trial period, just to see what are the pros, what are the cons are?” said Marcus Belin, principal of Huntley High School.
The assessment would consider the benefits and downsides of having the robot around and decide whether to make the arrangement permanent or not. With the robot cleaner around, the hallways are remarkably cleaner. A notable downside is that only a section of the large building can be focused on, but there are possibilities to add more to the building.
“I think it’ll be a permanent thing,” Belin said. “It was talked about, I believe, in our last board meeting, and they came and asked me, they were like, after a week, what do you think? And I’m like, ‘I’m game for it. Let’s go.’”
With the addition of the robot cleaner in the school, there are hopes to make it feel more in tune with Huntley and make it further known by the community.
“So we’re looking, if we get it here, to be able to wrap it with Huntley logos,” Belin said. “Then, probably put a naming contest out for students to be able to name it and be a part of our community.”
Students have debated whether the robot is truly necessary at the school or if its resources could be better used elsewhere. Some believe that with the robot around to help clean the floors, the custodians can closely focus on the surfaces of tables and areas the robot may not be able to effectively clean, such as bathrooms and locker rooms.
While some students express amusement when coming into contact with the robot, others have expressed differing viewpoints. Students are concerned about the custodian’s jobs being in jeopardy, as well as the power and attention the robot would require to run smoothly.
“I’m concerned that maybe it would take away people’s jobs,” senior Allison Alvarez said. “I hope the [custodians] still have their jobs, and that it won’t put them in jeopardy later.”
The job market has been rough recently as people struggle to find jobs, and the enforcement of ever- improving AI only makes it more difficult to secure employment. As AI continues to exceed expectations, the implementation of a robot cleaner raises concerns about the possible dehumanization of already underappreciated workers.
“I also feel like having a robot kind of dehumanizes the custodial staff even further,” senior Miles Taylor said. “Students have a tendency to throw food and [other] stuff. Because they don’t know the names of any of the custodians, they don’t think about them as deeply as they would think about other staff members. And I think showing a robot that could ‘do their job’ makes it worse.”
Despite the large selection of trash cans all around the school, students show difficulty tossing their items out when they are no longer in use. Empty cans and snack wrappers are scattered in common areas and cover tables, as students expect custodians to clean up after them. The robot cleaner being around will be helpful when it comes to trash and casual messes on the floor, but students might further neglect their trash now that there is a robot cleaner to straighten up their areas.
A new helping hand was not expected of any of the students, as most seem to already be happy with the current custodians’ diligence. The robot is not necessarily welcomed with open arms; however, there is little to no protest about having it around.
“I feel like our school is already pretty clean to begin with, but with the robot, I feel like the messes will be more minimal, especially any stuff on the floor,” Alvarez said. “There would be more focus on cleaning up tables and stuff. Then [custodians] wouldn’t have to worry about the floors.”
Who knows, it may only be a matter of time before robots are scanning students in and out of the building throughout the day.
