Moscow Puts Year-Round Street Cleaning in the Hands of “Pixel” Robots
The robotic street cleaners can reach speeds of up to 10 kilometers per hour and operate for as long as 16 hours a day.
Autonomous street-cleaning robots known as Pixel are now operating in parks and on several streets across Moscow. The machines were developed by the Moscow-based company Avtonomika. The first units appeared back in 2023, and today the company has more than 35 active cleaning robots in operation, along with several experimental models. The Moscow Mayor’s Office and city government press service reported the rollout.
Washing Paths and Clearing Snow
In 2024–2025, the Moscow Innovation Cluster, which operates under the city’s Department of Entrepreneurship, ran a pilot project to develop robots for year-round street cleaning. The machines were deployed in the 50th Anniversary of October Park and around the Raduga, Khodynskoye Pole, Kuzminki-Lyublino, and Sokolniki Park. The pilot proved successful. Pixel robots can service all hard surfaces and handle about 50 percent of cleaning operations, including washing walkways and clearing them of snow.
Thanks to interchangeable attachments, Pixel can operate in any season. City officials note that the appearance of the robots on the streets has reduced the need for manual labor by around 30 percent. Pixel robots are now regularly cleaning several city parks as well as the Skolkovo Innovation Center.
The street-cleaning robot combines a modern design with advanced technology. It can reach speeds of up to 10 kilometers per hour and operate for as long as 16 hours a day, with breaks for recharging. A single Pixel unit can cover an area of up to two hectares.
Developers also paid close attention to safety, equipping the robot with a multisensor navigation system and computer vision technology. This allows Pixel to confidently navigate its surroundings and avoid collisions.
Leaf Blowers and De-Icing
In 2026, Moscow plans to test new types of attachments, including leaf and pine-needle blowers, as well as equipment for snow removal and de-icing. Developers also intend to train Pixel to handle additional tasks such as repairs, construction, and urban landscaping.
While Pixel reduces the need for traditional street cleaners, it creates demand for operators who manage the robots. Notably, Pixel can be controlled remotely, allowing even people with limited mobility to oversee its operation.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has recently said that by combining scientific, educational, and industrial potential, the capital is effectively building a new industry. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also emphasized that Moscow is an undisputed leader in developing the autonomous systems economy and that this experience should be shared with other regions.
Earlier, IT-Russia reported that trials had begun in Balashikha, a borough outside Moscow, of a transformer robot designed for lawn mowing and snow removal. The initiative was launched by the property management company ZhIlkommunservis.
