Summary/Readers Response Draft #3



According to GovInsiders’ article on “How tech can ease the cleaning industry's manpower crunch”(2021), cleaning robots can work symbiotically with cleaners. These cleaning robots focus on “time-consuming, repetitive manual tasks” while the cleaners focus on other complex tasks that robots cannot do like “elevator buttons, bathrooms, and desks”. Whiz, an AI-powered commercial floorcare cleaning robot from SoftBank Robotics, has functions such as sensors to work automatedly, vacuuming, air filtration with HEPA filter and floor disinfection with GERMii’s Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology(Softbank Robotics, n.d.). It automates vacuuming so workers can concentrate on things that benefit people. Additionally, not many studies were done on the consequences of using a disproportionate amount of cleaning chemicals that will be “concerning from health, cost, and environmental perspectives”. One solution to tackle such problems is the GERMii’s technology to modify UV-C into a concentrated beam of light that is “lethal to viruses, bacteria, and pathogens”. Cleaners just need to wash off surfaces using "soap and cloth" to disinfect surfaces without the use of chemicals. Whiz can adopt the UV-C light module as it is close enough to the floor's surface to "almost instantaneously" kill Covid-19, bacteria, and fungus. Even though cleaning robots have its limitations, its built in AI and UVC technology makes it an effective and efficient cleaning assistant that is necessary to have in a hospital to aid in cleaning highly contaminated rooms.




UV-C is a specific section in the ultraviolet light spectrum that has a wavelength of 200 nm to 280 nm which has disinfecting properties. When the DNA or proteins in the bacteria absorbs UV-C, the cell walls are ruptured leading to the death or inactivation of the micro organism(Crystal IS,n.d.). However as most of the UV radiation comes from the sun, most of the UV light is absorbed by earth's ozone layer so the only way to obtain UVC is through man made UV-C lamps or LEDs. UV-C has been proven to be effective and efficient at destroying or inactivating viruses and bacterias including SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-Coronavirus(FDA,2021). High efficiency particulate air [filter](HEPA) is a type of pleated mechanical air filter. It can “theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns (µm)”(EPA,2022). As the particle size of covid 19 is approximately 0.125 micron (125 nanometers) in diameter, it will be caught in the air filter(Heffernan T,2020) which sanitizes the air. These technologies can be incorporated with cleaning robots like Whiz to not just clean and vacuum but also disinfect the area. Hospitals are using cleaning robots as they not only clean and sanitize efficiently, it also reduces the amount of human contact preventing the spread of covid 19(Lerman,2020). Cleaning robots that use ultraviolet disinfection can eliminate 99.9% of all bacteria in a hospital room within 10 minutes. Although the room must be vacant while being disinfected, the UV rays have no adverse effects. It is also able to not only disinfect high contact surfaces but also keep the air clean with UV-C sterilization technology(Zhao et al., 2021) and also able to eliminate harmful airborne pathogens with HEPA filters and UV-C light (Softbank Robotics, n.d.).




According to the Locus Robotics article on “What are Autonomous Robots?”, a autonomous robot should be able to “ perceive its environment, make decisions based on what it perceives and/or has been programmed to recognize, and then actuate a movement or manipulation within that environment” without human intervention. What helps the robots “see” are the sensors used and the “brain” that helps the robot think or make decisions is the built in AI technology. With the help of its sensors like infrared or ultrasound sensors to see obstacles, these autonomous robots can maneuver throughout the place without help from humans and can avoid circumstances that might be dangerous to them, other people, or property. Furthermore, autonomous robots are expected to adjust to changing environments.. These autonomous robots can travel around without human aid and can avoid circumstances that might be dangerous to them like people, or property(RobotWorx, n.d). Robots with autonomy are also likely to adjust to their environment as it changes like the UVD robot by Blue Ocean Robotics. The UVD robot uses LIDAR sensors to map out the environment and the operator can mark on the map of the environment to indicate which rooms and other places need to be cleaned or not. The robot then navigates autonomously around the hospital(IFR,2021).




Some limitations of the cleaning robots being used in hospitals is that single rooms must be ready quickly due to the high bed occupancy rates in many nations. UV-C robots will need additional time that interferes with daily hospital routines, which may disrupt regular hospital operations. As a result, their utilization must be included into the hospital workflow. It is recommended to apply this new technology as an addition to the standard hospital cleaning and disinfection procedures. The major obstacles to the efficient usage of these robots are dirt and organic soiling since UV-C does not supply enough energy to inactivate bacterial and viral pathogens trapped in such material. Therefore, manual cleaning is a must before using UVC disinfection, which requires personnel and extra time. Additionally, in order to set up, monitor, and reset the program and after running into problems, disinfection robots require a professional supervisor. Not only that, most places are not developed with the thought of using cleaning robots so there might be uneven flooring or tight spaces that further limits the cleaning robots from their full potential. Cleaning robots are not cheap and may not be attractive to companies to include it into their business workflow.(Schahawi et al., 2021)




Despite the limitations of cleaning robots, the advantages of using it exceeds its limitations. Because of the pandemic, people are much more aware of the dangers and importance of cleanliness and these autonomous cleaning robots have helped to solve the problems while achieving higher standards of cleanliness efficiently and also reducing the amount of human contact.




References

Crystal IS.(n.d.) Knowledge about uvc

https://klaran.com/knowledge/about-uvc




EPA.(2022) What is a HEPA filter?

https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-hepa-filter




FDA.(2021) UV Lights and Lamps: Ultraviolet-C Radiation, Disinfection, and Coronavirus

https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/tanning/ultraviolet-uv-radiation




GERMii.(2021). How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch. https://govinsider.asia/future-of-work/how-tech-can-ease-the-cleaning-industrys-manpower-crunch-robots-germii/




Heffernan T.(2020) Can HEPA Air Purifiers Capture the Coronavirus?

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/can-hepa-air-purifiers-capture-coronavirus/




IFR(2021) Cleaning robots reduce infections in hospitals and public spaces International Federation of Robotics

https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/cleaning-robots-reduce-infections#:~:text=The%20robot%20uses%20LIDAR%20sensors,navigates%20autonomously%20around%20the%20hospital.




Lerman, R.(2020) Robot cleaners are coming, this time to wipe up your coronavirus germs

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/09/08/robot-cleaners-surge-pandemic/




RobotWorx(n.d.) What are autonomous robots?

https://www.robots.com/articles/what-are-autonomous-robots




Softbank Robotics.(n.d.) AI autonomous vacuum cleaning robot which captures and kills pathogens on the floor and in the air.

https://apac.softbankrobotics.com/apac/robot-germii/




RobotWorx(n.d.) What are autonomous robots?

https://www.robots.com/articles/what-are-autonomous-robots




GERMii.(2021). How tech can ease the cleaning industry’s manpower crunch. https://govinsider.asia/future-of-work/how-tech-can-ease-the-cleaning-industrys-manpower-crunch-robots-germii/




Schahawi, M., Zingg, W., Vos, M., Humphreys, H., Lopez-Cerero,L., Fueszl, A., Zahar, J. & Presterl. E(2021). Ultraviolet disinfection robots to improve hospital cleaning: Real promise or just a gimmick?

https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-020-00878-4




Softbank Robotics.(n.d.) AI autonomous vacuum cleaning robot which captures and kills pathogens on the floor and in the air.

https://apac.softbankrobotics.com/apac/robot-germii/




Walker J.(n.d.) What are Autonomous Robots?  8 Applications for Today’s AMRs Locus Robotics

https://locusrobotics.com/what-are-autonomous-robots/#:~:text=A%20truly%20autonomous%20robot%20is,or%20manipulation%20within%20that%20environment.




Zhao, Z., Ma, Y., Mushtaq, A., Rajper, A. M., Shehab, M., Heybourne, A., Song, W., Ren, H., & Tse, Z. T. (2021). Applications of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies During COVID-19: A Review

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/disaster-medicine-and-public-health-preparedness/article/applications-of-robotics-artificial-intelligence-and-digital-technologies-during-covid19-a-review/610FFDBD77481D2F8DED4EF3B029AA52

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