The AIDAnova recently became the first ship in the AIDA Cruises fleet to be equipped with a fully autonomous cleaning robot.

Developed by Kärcher Deutschland, the robot was designed to autonomously clean the outer decks of the vessel, which is currently sailing in Northern Europe.

“This prevents the accumulation of salt deposits and guarantees a safe and clean deck for all guests,” said Vincent Vogt, Kärcher’s Senior Expert Adviser Robotics.

The project was implemented together with the AIDA Cruises team and included onboard training for the crew, he added in a social media update.

The robot can be used on a daily basis, Vogt said, and is part of the company’s “Wiping of the Future” initiative.

According to Kärcher’s website, the autonomous robot was created to take over the floor cleaning of medium to large areas, relieving the workload of cleaning staff, who then can work on other tasks.

In addition to the robot for outside decks, AIDA Cruises is also using an autonomous vacuum cleaning robot for interior areas.

The AIDAnova is currently offering a series of seven-night cruises to the Norwegian Fjords departing from Kiel, Germany.

The itineraries feature visits to various destinations in Norway and Denmark, including Alesund, Maloy, Oslo, Aarhus and Copenhagen.

Starting in November, the ship is set to offer AIDA’s “Metropolises” itinerary, which sails from Hamburg and features visits to France, Belgium, England and the Netherlands.

In the past, AIDA Cruises collaborated with ALDEBARAN to embark “Pepper” robots on its fleet. The humanoid robots underwent trials on the AIDAstella before embarking on other ships starting in 2016.

Able to read human emotions, the “Peppers” joined several ships of the fleet to help guests with recommendations and tips on restaurants, events and excursions.

The robots were able to speak English and German and also guided passengers during embarkation and disembarkation processes.