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ROBOT DISTRIBUTION

Updated

USE CASE · LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Autonomous road sweeper: streets and squares swept with no driver on board

The autonomous sweeper follows its routes by night or day, electrically, and returns on its own at the end of the cycle. Street cleaning staff keep manual litter picking, bins, fly-tipping and supervision.

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A Trombia Free autonomous sweeper cleans a paved town-centre square in the early morning.

IN BRIEF

Updated

  1. An autonomous road sweeper is an electric cleaning vehicle that sweeps streets, squares, pedestrian zones and industrial site roads with no driver on board, guided by LiDAR, cameras and GNSS.

  2. The Bucher CityCat VR17ae sweeps 1,200 to 2,400 mm wide and runs a 7 h autonomous sweeping cycle followed by a 60 min autonomous service cycle, according to its manufacturer.

  3. Robot Distribution delivers it, maps the routes, trains your staff and maintains it, to buy, rent or as RaaS.

WHY

Autonomous road sweeping

Sweeping streets, squares and pedestrian zones comes round every day, often early in the morning or at night, with sweeper drivers hard to recruit and noisy diesel machines in town centres. Business parks, ports and industrial sites have the same needs over large paved areas.

The autonomous sweeper runs mapped routes electrically, detects pedestrians and obstacles and, depending on the model, can switch back to manual driving. First deployments take place on closed sites, pedestrian zones or supervised routes: driverless operation on public roads remains subject to national rules.

HOW IT RUNS

How sweeping runs with the autonomous machine.

  1. Mapping the routes

    At commissioning we record the routes, no-go zones and emptying and charging points. The Boschung Urban-Sweeper S2.0 Autonomous wakes up, sweeps and parks on its own, according to its manufacturer.

  2. Scheduling

    We set the days, hours and order of routes, for example at night in a pedestrian zone or outside delivery hours in a business park.

  3. Autonomous sweeping

    The sweeper follows its route, runs along kerbs and steers around obstacles and pedestrians. The KUSA StarSweep works at up to 10 km/h and recognises traffic lights, according to its manufacturer.

  4. Emptying, charging and monitoring

    At the end of the cycle the machine empties its hopper, recharges and reports its run data. The Boschung Urban-Sweeper S2.0 Autonomous recharges in 100 min, according to its manufacturer; staff check brooms and filters.

A street cleaning worker checks the route of the Trombia Free autonomous sweeper on a tablet at the municipal depot.
The worker checks the route before departure.
The Trombia Free autonomous sweeper runs along the kerb of a pedestrian street, sweeping the gutter.
The sweeper runs along kerbs and steers around obstacles.

THE ROBOTS

Autonomous sweepers in our catalogue.

  • Trombia Free

    Trombia Free

    Cleaning

    Working width
    1,600 mm
    Key feature
    95% less water
    Key feature
    Autonomous, all-electric
    On order
    Price on request
  • Bucher CityCat VR17ae

    Bucher Municipal

    Bucher CityCat VR17ae

    Cleaning

    Key feature
    1,200–2,400 mm width
    Runtime
    7 h
    Key feature
    55 kWh battery
    On order
    Price on request
  • COOWA X1 Unicorn

    COOWA X1 Unicorn

    Cleaning

    Working width
    1,260 mm
    Cleaning efficiency
    6,300 sqm/h max
    Weight
    640 kg
    On order
    Price on request
  • KUSA StarSweep

    KUSA StarSweep

    Cleaning

    Key feature
    1,300–2,200 mm width
    Runtime
    6–8 h
    Key feature
    1,000 L dustbin
    On order
    Price on request
  • WeRide Robosweeper S6

    WeRide Robosweeper S6

    Cleaning

    Key feature
    3.5 m³ water tank
    Key feature
    300 km range (NEDC)
    Key feature
    Sweeps, washes, disinfects
    On order
    Price on request
The whole solution · Local authorities

BEFORE INSTALLING

What the site survey checks before commissioning.

  1. Road type

    Carriageway width, pavements, gutters and kerbs guide the choice: the compact COOWA X1 Unicorn sweeps lanes and kerbs 1,260 mm wide, the KUSA StarSweep sweeps main roads 1,300 to 2,200 mm wide, according to their manufacturers.

  2. Traffic and operating framework

    Open road, pedestrian zone or private site: road status, traffic and hours determine autonomous use and whether a supervising operator is needed.

  3. Gradients and surfaces

    Gradients, paving and speed bumps are recorded: the COOWA X1 Unicorn climbs 26% and the KUSA StarSweep 20%, according to their manufacturers.

  4. Charging and emptying

    We locate the depot, the available electrical power and the emptying and water-filling points. The KUSA StarSweep recharges in 1.5 h on a DC fast charger, according to its manufacturer.

RULES AND STANDARDS

Rules and standards for driverless street sweeping in France and the EU

Before an autonomous sweeper leaves the depot, four texts frame where it may run, how it is built and what it must declare.

  1. Public roads: the French experimental authorisation

    Driverless running on an open public road falls under Decree No. 2018-211 of 28 March 2018 on experimenting with delegated-driving vehicles. The application goes through the Ministry of Transport, which consults the road manager and, where specific measures are needed, the traffic police authority. A person must be able to take control, on board or not, and the vehicle runs under a WW DPTC certificate.

  2. Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from 20 January 2027

    The regulation replaces Directive 2006/42/EC and applies directly from 20 January 2027. For autonomous mobile machinery, INRS points to two key requirements: a supervision function that lets a remote supervisor only start, stop or move the machine to a safe state (3.2.4), and travel in an enclosed space or with person and obstacle detection (3.3.3). Ask how the sweeper meets both on sites without a road authorisation.

  3. EN 17106-1 and EN 17106-2:2021, road surface cleaning machines

    EN 17106-1:2021 sets common safety requirements for road operation machinery; EN 17106-2:2021 adds the specific requirements for road surface cleaning machines. Together they replace EN 13019+A1:2008. They cover the hazards of operation, adjustment, hopper discharge and maintenance. Ask the manufacturer which edition its risk assessment used and how the autonomous functions were added to it.

  4. Noise marking under Directive 2000/14/EC

    Power sweepers are listed under Article 13 of Directive 2000/14/EC: no EU noise limit applies, but each machine must carry the CE marking and its guaranteed sound power level, backed by an EC declaration of conformity. For night or early-morning routes near homes, ask for this guaranteed level and compare it with the noise rules set by the municipality.

Official sources

  1. Décret n° 2018-211 du 28 mars 2018 relatif à l'expérimentation de véhicules à délégation de conduite sur les voies publiques · Légifrance · accessed
  2. Nouveau règlement machines : quelles évolutions ? · INRS · accessed
  3. Journée technique machines 2025 — règlement (UE) 2023/1230, machines mobiles autonomes · INRS · accessed
  4. SS-EN 17106-2:2021 Road operation machinery — Safety — Part 2: Specific requirements for road surface cleaning machines · SIS (Swedish Institute for Standards) · accessed
  5. Directive 2000/14/EC on noise emission in the environment by equipment for use outdoors (consolidated text) · EUR-Lex · accessed

General information, not legal advice.

FAQ

Street cleaning services' questions about autonomous sweeping.

Can an autonomous sweeper run on public roads?

It depends on the national framework and the site. The machines in our catalogue detect pedestrians and obstacles with sensors; the Bucher CityCat VR17ae combines cameras, 3D LiDAR, radars and ultrasonic sensors with redundant brake-by-wire, according to its manufacturer. First uses are often in pedestrian zones or on closed sites, with supervision.

How much area does it sweep?

According to the manufacturer: up to 6,300 m²/h for the COOWA X1 Unicorn. The Trombia Free sweeps 1,600 mm wide and the Bucher CityCat VR17ae 1,200 to 2,400 mm. Actual output depends on the route, turns and how dirty the surface is.

Can it work at night without disturbing residents?

It is electric and designed to limit noise: the COOWA X1 Unicorn works at 70 dB or less, and the Trombia Free is stated to be more than 20 dB quieter than a conventional sweeper, according to their manufacturers.

Does it use a lot of water?

The Trombia Free uses about 95% less water and 85% less energy than a conventional high-performance sweeper, according to its manufacturer. By contrast, the WeRide Robosweeper S6 sweeps, sprays and disinfects main roads with a 3.5 m³ water tank.

Can it be driven manually?

Yes for the dual-mode models: the Bucher CityCat VR17ae and the Boschung Urban-Sweeper S2.0 Autonomous switch to manual driving, according to their manufacturers. Staff use this for one-off jobs outside the routes.

USE CASES

Send us the map of your sweeping routes. We choose the machine and organise commissioning.

Robots, acquisition mode and delivery terms, in one written proposal.

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