Autonomous Ultraviolet-C Disinfection and Wiping Robot: Assessment in a Hospital Environment

Abstract

This article explores the advent of an innovative autonomous robot designed to enhance hospital disinfection through targeted wiping and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation methods. The urgency for such advancements has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed challenges, such as low compliance rates, physical fatigue, labor shortages, and heightened risk of pathogen exposure for disinfection workers. Traditional disinfection approaches, including UV-C irradiation mobile robots and hydrogen peroxide vapor methods, while effective, fall short in addressing obstacles like shaded areas and surface contaminants. To bridge this gap, we introduce a novel robot that combines physical wiping to remove contaminants with targeted UV-C irradiation for areas less amenable to wiping. Our development efforts have centered on optimizing disinfection efficacy and ensuring the robot's reliability for practical applications in real-world hospitals. The performance and usability of this autonomous disinfection robot were thoroughly assessed at Pohang St. Mary's Hospital, demonstrating its potential to transform hospital disinfection practices by complementing traditional disinfection tasks with advanced robotic assistance.