Otis links cleaning robot to lifts at Ritsumeikan University campus

Cleaning across floors

Nippon Otis says it has connected an autonomous cleaning robot to lifts at Ritsumeikan University’s Biwako-Kusatsu campus in Japan. The company’s announcement, published on 19 October 2026, says the robot can follow a route across multiple floors of a seven-storey building, rather than remaining on one level. Otis has not specified when the connection entered service. [1]

The arrangement uses Otis Integrated Dispatch, an application programming interface that lets service robots communicate with lifts. Otis describes the product as supporting cloud-based or on-premises connections and access to multiple lifts in a bank. Those are product capabilities, not independently verified performance results for this campus. [1][2]

Relevance for building operators

The project illustrates a practical reason to connect lifts with other building systems: a robot assigned to clean a large facility needs a way to move between floors without a person accompanying it. Nippon Otis says the connection allows the campus robot to do that. It has not published measured cleaning-time savings or staffing outcomes for the installation. [1]

For lift contractors and facilities teams, the distinction is between enabling the robot to use a lift and assessing how the combined service performs in day-to-day operation. Otis says its integration work includes checking the operating environment and coordinating the requirements for the connection; its product information also describes pre-deployment software testing. [1][2]