Recently I wrote about the Smart Field Hospital in Wuhan, China that recently opened and is staffed completely with robots. The hospital was built to relieve exhausted hospital staff in the event of such emergencies like the coronavirus outbreak.
Robots can do more than just relieve tired humans, they can help reduce the risks that infections pose to us, by disinfecting rooms, hallways, and elevators.
UVD Robots is a Danish company that specializes in designing infection prevention robots. Founded in 2016 by Blue Ocean Robotics, the company set out to provide a robot capable of 360-degree UV disinfection with global commercialization.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK4sx7mEDw8
Per Juul Nielsen, CEO of UVD Robots explains the company:
UVD Robots stands for UV Disinfection Robots – and that is what we develop. We utilize the effects of high-intensity light sources to think [of] disruptive robot technology in ways that improve [the] work environment, patient safety levels and operational efficiency for customers.
Hospitals are full of germs. Sick, infected people are there constantly around the clock and no matter how many times someone cleans them or disinfects them, there will still be germs. This is where the UVD robots can help out.
- The UVD Robots stand 5’6″ tall (171cm), 2’1″ Wide (66cm), and 3 feet deep or length of 93cm.
- They can move at speeds of 5.4 km/h or 3.3mph.
- Disinfect with a 360-degree radius killing 99.99% of bacteria within 10 minutes.
- UV array emits 20 joules per square meter per second (at a 1-meter distance) of 254-nanometer light.
- For each 2.5 hour charge, they can disinfect 9 or 10 rooms.
- Equipped with an emergency button and software and sensor-based safety features.
- Cost $80,000 – $90,000 USD.
Nielsen said initially the company sent a few hundred robots to China around the Wuhan area where the situation was most severe. He then told IEEE Spectrum: “We’re shipping every week—they’re going air freight into China because they’re so desperately needed,” and intend to supply more than 2,000 Chinese hospitals and medical facilities.
The robots were successfully used in the Smart Field Hospital to help against the coronavirus, UVD spokesperson Camilla Harkjær Frederiksen commented:
The UVD Robot will kill the coronavirus, as it has a proven efficacy against MERS CoV and MHV-A59, showing over 6 log reductions in viral particles within 30 minutes.
Every UVD Robot is equipped with Lidar. When first deploying the robot a user guides the robot around via computer and as the robot scans the rooms or area it creates a digital map for itself to be autonomous. The user also enters information on which areas need disinfecting, which the robot also stores.
Once all information is stored, the robot will use simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for navigation. It’s able to self-navigate from the charging station disinfect the rooms and return all on its own. For safety, the robot is equipped with sensors to detect if a human is present and will shut down the UV lights until the area is clear.
Already operational in more than 40 countries, the UVD Robots recently finished a trial in Florida hospital with further tests scheduled in medical facilities around the U.S. Neilsen said once hospitals see the robots perform “it’s a no brainer.” He continues:
If they want this type of disinfection solution, then the robot is much smarter and more cost-effective than what’s available in the market today.
