A group of Carnegie Mellon University students aim to use advanced technology to increase the efficiency of one of the most basic functions at Pittsburgh International Airport: restroom cleaning.
The project is the latest collaboration between the airport and the tech-forward university, this time under the umbrella of the airport’s xBridge innovation center. The airport and CMU signed an agreement in 2018 to work together to enhance traveler experiences and airport operations.
The goal of the latest project? To calculate real-time, smarter cleaning schedules using artificial intelligence that takes into account when and where flights are coming in, how many people are using a restroom based on a beam that counts people as they approach, and, eventually, sensors that alert staff when soap needs to be refilled and garbage needs to be emptied.