A voice coming from this new robot says ‘please leave the room, close the door, and start disinfection’.
This UVD robot says the same in Chinese too, explains Simon Ellison, VP of UVD Robots, a Danish company.
This self-driving machine navigates a mock hospital room floor and it helps destroy microbes using ultraviolet light.
According to the chief executive, Per Juul Nielse, they’ve been working on the business at a high pace; however with the coronavirus, the demand has skyrocketed.
Trucks full of these robots have been sent out to China, especially in Wuhan, as well as in Asia and Europe.
They also have high demands for the robot in Italy that’s currently in a desperate situation and the company is doing their best to help them.
Robots Are Being Made in less than 24 Hours
Since the production increased, the company now needs less than a day to make one of these robots in their facility in Odense, Denmark. This is the third largest city in Denmark as well as the home to a growing robotics hub.
The robot has light saber-like bulbs, eight of them, and they emit UV-C ultraviolet light. This light has the power to destroy viruses, bacteria, and other microbes as it kills their DNA and RNA and prevents them from multiplying.
However, as it’s also bad for humans, they need to wait outside for the robot to do its job, which takes around 10 to 20 minutes. Then, the room is filled with a smell, similar to one from burned hair.
According to Hans Kolmos, a professor of clinical microbiology at the Southern Denmark University who helped make the robot, there are numerous problematic organisms which can lead to infections.
He adds that through the adequate amount of ultraviolet light in the adequate period, you can remove these organisms.
These disinfectant robots can also be used in epidemic situations such as the current one.
The UVD Disinfectant Robots
The robot was launched one year ago after 6 years of collaboration between the parent firm Blue Ocean Robotics and the Odense University Hospital.
Each of the robots costs $67,000 and it was made to help lower the chances for HAIs that can be expensive to treat and may also lead to loss of lives.
Even though there’s no testing to prove how effective the robot is against the coronavirus, Nielsen believes it works great.
This virus is similar to the Mers and Sars which we know can be killed with UV-C light.
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