The shipwill clean itself

[JarodRussell]

How? Any ideas? Stains on the carpet? Litter in the corridors? How is all that removed by the ship "cleaning itself"?

 

[Tora Ziyal]

No idea, but if we ever find out, I'd sure like to replicate the system in my house.

 

[Holdfast]

How? Any ideas? Stains on the carpet? Litter in the corridors? How is all that removed by the ship "cleaning itself"?

Roomba technology improved dramatically in the intervening four centuries...

... on a more serious note(!), I'm thinking a human-friendly version of verteron beam or whatever it was that purged the ship of radiation in Starship Mine.

 

[T'Girl]

My mother had five children, her house "cleaned itself" too.

 

[22 Stars]

Routine scheduled transporter analysis comparing the current condition of the carpet and other surfaces to standard regulation specs? If it detects a spot of ketchup on the rug in ten forward, it beams it off.

 

[Bisz]

Routine scheduled transporter analysis comparing the current condition of the carpet and other surfaces to standard regulation specs? If it detects a spot of ketchup on the rug in ten forward, it beams it off.

And onto Riker's hamburger


My thinking was in the same line as yours, beam the non-belonging material away.

 

[sojourner]

Nanotechnology surfaces. Spills and dirt were "eaten" to repair the surface in question.

 

[GNDN]

Well good for the bloody ship!

 

[Sandoval]

Riker has never been exposed to the 'little people' who clean the ship during the night and is therefore stating the facts as he knows them to be true - without being aware of the truth he is operating from the assumption that the ship cleans itself.

It doesn't. Polish people or Mexicans do.

 

[Trekker4747]

Riker has never been exposed to the 'little people' who clean the ship during the night and is therefore stating the facts as he knows them to be true - without being aware of the truth he is operating from the assumption that the ship cleans itself.

It doesn't. Polish people or Mexicans do.

Okay, that's pretty funny.

But, really, I see beams and other replicator/transporter technology doing this or material technology being impervious to dust and dirt which is then forced to remain in the air where it's handled by the air-handling systems.

We never do see much use of robotic technology (at least for mundane tasks) in Trek so it's unlikely there's a fleet of Roombas or other robotic personnel who "clean the ship."

The hay and other clutter Maggie O'Mcstereotype was messing with may have been cleaned up by transporter, matter-reclamation technology ("reverse replicators") and tractor beams. Probably in a display not too dissimilar than the fire-suppression system that so scared Andy O'Mcstereotype.

It's even possible that in the very basics of things some poor Non-COMs or Ensigns have to grab a broom and vacuum and get to work. (Hell, I think plenty of times in Trek there's been suggestion of "grunt work" being done that involved dirty cleaning chores.)

 

[Sandoval]

Other than that throwaway line from Riker in early-TNG I don't think the issue has ever been addressed, certainly not in any serious way that I'm aware of.

To be honest I'd always imagined that the lower-ranks have cleaning duties to perform.

 

[Bisz]

Polish people or Mexicans do.

For your future bigoted comments, the term is Poles.

 

[RAMA]

Robot/AI is highly understated and unaddressed in STNG. More than likely a lot of cleaning is automated. I also suspect they would have explained some details away with "force field" type technobabble, but I have a feeling micro or even nano-robots would be involved in the cleaning process. Foglets in particular could be adapted for different needs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_fog

RAMA

 

[Silvercrest]

Routine scheduled transporter analysis comparing the current condition of the carpet and other surfaces to standard regulation specs? If it detects a spot of ketchup on the rug in ten forward, it beams it off.

It must have played hell with some of the scientists' work.

"BEEP! Alert! Alert! Contaminated material! Whoosh!"

"Alyssa, did you do something with my bacterial cultures?"

 

[Tiberius]

Could be something along the lines of a sonic shower...

 

[T'Girl]

Nanotechnology surfaces. Spills and dirt were "eaten" to repair the surface in question.

Scary to think of all the times I've fallen asleep on my carpet, watching TV.

 

[Tiberius]

Maybe that's what happens to all the socks we lose...

 

[Trekker4747]

Robot/AI is highly understated and unaddressed in STNG. More than likely a lot of cleaning is automated. I also suspect they would have explained some details away with "force field" type technobabble, but I have a feeling micro or even nano-robots would be involved in the cleaning process. Foglets in particular could be adapted for different needs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_fog

RAMA

Ah, so some guy just envisioned the GEDE McGuffin and he gets credit for brilliant thinking?

 

[22 Stars]

Routine scheduled transporter analysis comparing the current condition of the carpet and other surfaces to standard regulation specs? If it detects a spot of ketchup on the rug in ten forward, it beams it off.

It must have played hell with some of the scientists' work.

"BEEP! Alert! Alert! Contaminated material! Whoosh!"

"Alyssa, did you do something with my bacterial cultures?"

Remind me not to ask you to write the code for the cleaning protocols, lol.

 

[Sandoval]

For your future bigoted comments, the term is Poles.

Can't beat a bit of tiresome, false offence can you?