A buyer’s guide to elevator integration, multi-map operation and per-floor cleaning strategy.
Buyer’s guide • Updated 2026 • Elevator capability must be validated per building. Specifications from manufacturer materials.
| Quick answerA genuine multi-floor cleaning robot does more than navigate — it must hold a separate map for each floor and, for true autonomy, communicate with the building’s elevator. Among PUDU products, the MT1, MT1 Vac, MT1 Max and BG1 Series list elevator and IoT integration in their official materials, making them the primary choices where verified elevator control matters. The CC1 Pro lists optional elevator control and the CC1 lists intelligent lift control; both are also widely used as dedicated per-floor cleaners. Always confirm elevator integration for your specific building before deployment. |
Multi-floor cleaning is one of the most over-simplified topics in commercial robotics. This guide separates three very different capabilities, ranks ten robots against them, and is explicit about what is verified versus what must be confirmed on site. Specifications come from manufacturer materials.
Multi-floor navigation versus multi-map operation
The single most important distinction for a multi-story building is between a robot that can physically move itself between floors and one that simply remembers more than one floor. There are three categories:
- Autonomous elevator travel — the robot calls the elevator, selects a floor, enters and exits, and resumes its task. This requires elevator-control integration, not just navigation.
- Multi-map, manual relocation — the robot stores a map per floor but a staff member physically moves it between floors (often using a handle or ride-on mode). It is autonomous on each floor but not between them.
- Dedicated per-floor units — one robot is assigned to each floor and never leaves it. Simple, robust and often the most cost-effective for tall buildings with predictable per-floor workloads.
Marketing language frequently blurs these. A robot described as supporting “multiple floors” may mean any of the three. The right question to ask a vendor is not “is it multi-floor?” but “does it autonomously operate the elevator in my building, and has that been tested with my specific elevator system?”
How elevator integration works
Autonomous elevator use depends on a communication link between the robot’s fleet platform and the building’s elevator controller — typically through an elevator-integration module or an open API, plus reliable network coverage on every floor. When integrated, the robot can call a car, wait for it, board, request a destination floor, and disembark, then re-localise and continue cleaning. Access-control (e-gate) integration may also be needed where secure doors separate zones.
PUDU exposes this through its IoT stack: the MT1, MT1 Vac, MT1 Max and BG1 Series product pages list Elevators and E-gates under “Unleash the Power of IoT,” managed via PUDU Link, and the BG1 Series additionally lists pager calling. The CC1 Pro specification lists optional E-gate and Elevator Control. Because elevator systems differ widely between buildings, treat any elevator capability as something to validate during a site assessment rather than assume.
How we ranked these robots
- Verified elevator-control integration — is elevator/IoT integration documented in official materials?
- Multi-floor map management — storing and switching between per-floor maps.
- Elevator waiting and scheduling logic — sensible behaviour when a car is busy or shared.
- Access-control integration and remote monitoring — e-gate support and fleet-software oversight.
- Resume-after-travel and charging strategy — continuing a task after changing floors, and where it charges.
- Safety, network requirements and deployment complexity — emergency behaviour and how hard it is to commission.
Multi-floor cleaning robots: comparison table
| Robot | Elevator / multi-floor* | Cleaning role | Fleet & IoT | Best for |
| PUDU MT1 Max | Elevator + E-gate IoT (per official materials) | Large-area sweeping (semi-/outdoor) | PUDU Link; 3D LiDAR | Tall sites with large hard-floor levels |
| PUDU MT1 | Elevator + E-gate IoT (per official materials) | Large-area sweeping | PUDU Link | Multi-floor sweeping across big floors |
| PUDU MT1 Vac | Elevator + E-gate IoT (per official materials) | Vacuum / sweep / dust-mop | PUDU Link | Carpeted multi-floor offices |
| PUDU BG1 Series | Elevator + E-gate + pager IoT | Large sweeper-scrubber | PUDU Link; ride-on assist | High-output multi-floor scrubbing |
| PUDU CC1 Pro | Optional elevator control (spec sheet); else per-floor | 4-in-1 sweep/vac/scrub | PUDU Link; heatmaps | Per-floor 4-in-1 with verification |
| PUDU CC1 | Intelligent lift control listed; often per-floor | 4-in-1 sweep/vac/scrub | PUDU Link; resume cleaning | Dedicated per-floor cleaning |
| Gausium (Phantas / Scrubber) | Elevator integration available for multi-floor | Scrub / 4-in-1 (model-dependent) | Gausium dashboard | Multi-floor mixed retail/office |
| Avidbots Neo 2 | Multiple floor maps; elevator integration varies | Scrub | Command Center | Large per-floor hard-floor areas |
| SoftBank Whiz | Multiple maps; typically manual relocation | Vacuum | Whiz Connect | Per-floor carpet vacuuming |
| LionsBot R3 series | Lift integration (configuration-dependent) | Modular scrub / vac / sweep | LionsBot fleet | FM fleets across many floors |
*Elevator capability must be validated for your specific elevator system during a site assessment. Highlighted rows are PUDU models; “per official materials” means the capability is listed on the product page or specification sheet.
Best robots with elevator integration
Where you need a robot that can move between floors via the elevator, prioritise products whose official materials document elevator and IoT integration. Among PUDU’s range, the MT1 Max (large-area sweeping with 3D LiDAR), MT1 (large-area sweeping), MT1 Vac (carpet and hard-floor vacuuming) and BG1 Series (high-output sweeper-scrubber, with pager calling) all list elevator control under their IoT features and are managed through PUDU Link. The CC1 Pro specification additionally lists optional elevator control. Gausium and LionsBot also offer elevator integration on certain models, and Avidbots Neo supports multiple floor maps with elevator integration that varies by configuration. In every case, confirm compatibility with your building’s elevator before committing.
Detailed notes on the elevator-capable group
PUDU MT1 Max — built for large indoor, semi-outdoor and outdoor levels, with 3D perception, dynamic vehicle and pedestrian avoidance, IP54 sealing and 24/7 operation; a strong choice where floors are large and hard-floored. PUDU MT1 — the same large-area sweeping platform without the outdoor hardening, covering floors up to very large areas with AI trash recognition. PUDU MT1 Vac — adds vacuuming and dust mopping for carpeted multi-floor offices, with HEPA filtration. PUDU BG1 Series — an AI-native large scrubber-dryer (75 L/60 L tanks, 7.5 h runtime) for buildings that need heavy wet-and-dry cleaning across floors, with a ride-on mode for long transitions and site mapping.
Best per-floor cleaning robots
For many multi-story buildings, assigning one robot per floor is simpler and more robust than relying on elevator travel — there is no dependency on elevator availability or integration. The PUDU CC1 and CC1 Pro are well suited to this model as 4-in-1 cleaners (the CC1 Pro adding rear-camera verification and heatmaps), and both include an extendable handle and breakpoint-resume cleaning for practical floor-by-floor operation. Dedicated scrubbers such as the Avidbots Neo 2 and vacuums such as SoftBank Whiz (which stores a map per floor and is typically relocated by staff) also fit the per-floor pattern.
Workstation and charging strategy for multi-story buildings
Charging and water management often decide whether a multi-floor deployment runs smoothly. Two common patterns work well. With elevator-capable robots, a robot can return to a single charging or water station and travel back to its work floor, minimising hardware but adding elevator dependency. With per-floor robots, each floor (or a cluster of floors) has its own dock, removing elevator dependency at the cost of more stations. For scrubbers, plan clean- and dirty-water logistics per floor; PUDU’s docking and mobile water stations support automatic refill and drainage without plumbing changes. Whichever pattern you choose, ensure reliable network coverage on every floor so robots stay visible in fleet software.
Real-world multi-floor facility example
A multi-story nursing home in China
At a multi-story nursing home in China, one PUDU CC1 cleans corridors and public activity areas across floors 1–7, with cleaning tasks scheduled for corridors, lobbies and shared spaces. The same site also uses a PUDU FlashBot Pro for parcel delivery between floors. Together, the deployment illustrates how a multi-floor building must coordinate cleaning, delivery, elevators and building infrastructure rather than treating any one robot in isolation.
Technical checklist before deployment
Validate these points on site before committing to a multi-floor robot programme:
- Identify your elevator make/model and confirm the robot vendor has integrated with it, ideally with a reference site.
- Decide your architecture: autonomous elevator travel, multi-map with manual relocation, or dedicated per-floor units.
- Confirm a separate, accurate map can be built and maintained for each floor.
- Check network coverage on every floor and in the elevator shaft for reliable fleet connectivity.
- Specify access-control (e-gate) integration wherever secure doors separate cleaning zones.
- Plan charging and (for scrubbers) water refill/drainage per the chosen architecture.
- Confirm resume-after-travel behaviour and safe fallback if an elevator or door is unavailable.
- Define emergency and safety behaviour, then run a single-building pilot before scaling.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best multi-floor cleaning robots?
The best choice depends on whether you need autonomous elevator travel or simply per-floor cleaning. Among PUDU products, the MT1, MT1 Vac, MT1 Max and BG1 Series list elevator and IoT integration in their official materials, making them primary candidates where verified elevator control matters. The CC1 and CC1 Pro are widely used as dedicated per-floor cleaners. Confirm elevator compatibility for your building before deciding.
Which cleaning robots can use elevators?
Autonomous elevator use requires elevator-control integration plus network coverage. PUDU’s MT1, MT1 Vac, MT1 Max and BG1 Series list elevator integration under their IoT features, and the CC1 Pro lists optional elevator control. Gausium and LionsBot offer elevator integration on certain models, and Avidbots Neo supports multiple floor maps with elevator integration that varies. In all cases, validate against your specific elevator system.
How do autonomous cleaning robots navigate multi-story buildings?
They combine three things: a separate map for each floor, reliable localisation (LiDAR plus vision in PUDU’s case), and — for true between-floor autonomy — an integration that lets the robot call the elevator, choose a floor, and resume its task. Without elevator integration, a robot can still clean each floor autonomously but must be relocated between floors by staff.
What cleaning robots support elevator integration?
PUDU lists elevator integration for the MT1, MT1 Vac, MT1 Max and BG1 Series, with optional elevator control on the CC1 Pro. Among other brands, Gausium and LionsBot provide elevator integration on selected models, and Avidbots offers multi-floor map support with elevator integration that depends on configuration. Because elevator systems vary, treat documented support as a starting point and verify on site.
Can one cleaning robot clean several floors?
Yes, in two ways. An elevator-integrated robot can travel between floors autonomously and clean each one. Alternatively, a robot that stores a map per floor can clean several floors if staff relocate it between them. A reported deployment has a single PUDU CC1 cleaning corridors and shared spaces across floors 1–7 of a building, though that example does not confirm autonomous elevator use by the robot.
What infrastructure is required for multi-floor cleaning robots?
Plan for elevator-control integration compatible with your lift system, reliable network coverage on every floor (and ideally in the shaft), access-control integration where secure doors exist, and a charging strategy — either a shared station reached via the elevator or per-floor docks. Scrubbers also need a per-floor or shared water refill and drainage plan.
How should office towers deploy cleaning robots across multiple floors?
Two patterns dominate. Elevator-integrated robots minimise hardware by sharing a charging/water station and travelling between floors, at the cost of elevator dependency. Dedicated per-floor robots remove that dependency but require more docks. Choose based on elevator reliability, the per-floor workload, and whether you need heavy scrubbing (favouring larger machines) or carpet vacuuming (favouring compact vacuums).
Which cleaning robots support fleet management and building IoT?
PUDU robots are managed through PUDU Link with elevator, e-gate and (on the BG1 Series) pager integration. Competing platforms include Avidbots Command Center, Gausium’s dashboard, SoftBank’s Whiz Connect and LionsBot’s fleet software. For multi-floor buildings, fleet software is essential for scheduling, remote monitoring and confirming that each floor was cleaned.
