Countering viruses with new robotic technologies
Robots have the potential to help us humans fight covid-19, for example in disinfecting medical facilities. This was recently proven by a new disinfection robot from Denmark.
The disinfection robot UVD from the Danish manufacturer Blue Ocean Robotics is gaining ground worldwide. The device is already being actively used in more than 40 countries. According to the manufacturer, a large number of the devices are in use in Wuhan, China. Here, for example, they support hospital staff in cleaning and disinfecting the premises.
Electric disinfection robots
The UVD robot uses ultraviolet light to irradiate surfaces in order to kill pathogens. The more intensively and the longer it irradiates the respective area, the more effective the result. As a result, up to 99 percent of all viruses can be eliminated. In addition, the disinfection robot works autonomously. This ensures a high safety factor, because as soon as a person is in the room, the UV-C light is switched off immediately.
Robots as medical support personnel now form a service robot market in their own right, offering great growth potential. Consequently, it is not surprising that other manufacturers, such as Siemens, are also jumping on this bandwagon and developing their own robots.
According to the manufacturer, Siemens' robot can disinfect an area of up to 36,000 square meters within one hour. Using a 360-degree camera, the device captures images of the room and can then be controlled accordingly by the user. Human contact is eliminated - and so is the risk of infection.
As medical personnel are stretched to their limits in many places during the pandemic, robots like these could provide qualified support.
Service robots as multifunctional assistants
But robots are also gaining ground in other areas of medical or laboratory work. Companies from Munich and Aalborg, for example, are dedicated to the development of so-called service robots.
Up to now, many of these smart helpers have been used in hotels as minibar or room service. This is set to change in the future. The demand for robots as support in the laboratory is growing. For example, they can be used to sort, organize or store blood samples. In addition, some models already have the function of cooling the contents as required or transporting them very carefully.
There is no question that the topic of laboratory robots has potential. We are curious to see how this topic will develop in the future and which robot will lead the race in terms of employee support and corona control.
Do you have any questions about our topics or would you like to find out more about our laboratory equipment? Our experts are always at your disposal. Feel free to contact us by phone at +49 30 2096579 00 or send us an email at info@medsolut.com.
