Singapore trials disinfectant robot with dexterous arm in fight coronavirus
19 April, 2020
Singapore researchers have invented a disinfecting robot with an arm that mimics human movement, to greatly help take the strain off overworked cleaners through the coronavirus pandemic.
The “XDBOT” is a box-shaped creation on wheels mounted with a dexterous robotic limb, which can reach awkward locations such as for example under tables and beds.
The robot, built by researchers at the city-state’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), includes a high-powered nozzle for spraying disinfectant and will tackle large surfaces rapidly.
It can be managed remotely with a notebook or tablet, reducing the chance to cleaners to become infected with the virus, which has killed over 140,000 people worldwide.
“Using our new robot from a distance, a human operator can precisely control the disinfection process... with zero contact with surfaces,” said Chen I-Ming, an NTU scientist who led the project.
The cleaning robot differs from others available to buy, which are mainly intended to clean floor surfaces and cannot disinfect odd-shaped objects.
The robot may help meet growing calls in Singapore for more deep-cleaning and disinfection services, with reports suggesting cleaners are experiencing to work extended hours as demand explodes during the pandemic.
The XDBOT has been trialled on the NTU campus, and its own creators hope to test drive it in more public areas and hospitals.
Singapore is battling a fast-moving second wave of infections, with case numbers jumping by 728 Thursday to bring the full total to 4,427, including 10 deaths. The outbreak’s epicentre are crowded foreign worker dormitories.
From Thailand to Israel, robots are increasingly being found in the fight against the coronavirus, as they are seen as fast, efficient, and contagion-proof.
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