Design and Map-based Teleoperation of a Robot for Disinfection of COVID-19 in Complex Indoor Environments

Abstract

This paper presents the design and map-based teleoperation of a robot with ultraviolet-C (UVC) lamps that disinfects the COVID-19 virus in complex indoor environments. To disinfect a wide range of surfaces, the robot has an arm with six degrees-of-freedom in addition to a wheeled platform. The wheeled platform attaches tube lamps on each side and underneath in the orientation perpendicular to the moving direction, and the robot arm has a spot UVC lamp at its end-effector. A method for projecting surface dosage using light properties is proposed and validated using the sensor measurements from the robotic system. A technique for creating a disinfection map is presented to prove surface disinfection of the environment in three-dimensional space. The developed robot was tested in an indoor environment with typical structures. Experimental results demonstrate accurate disinfection map creation.

Autonomous Environment Disinfection Based on Dynamic UV-C Irradiation Map

“…It is subdivided into three types, type C containing wavelengths between 100 and 280 nm. UV-C is considered the most germicidal wavelength because the radiation is absorbed by the DNA and RNA of microorganisms, which breaks down their outer membrane [11], [12]. For every microorganism there is a specific amount of UV-C, called the ideal dose, which inactivates it.…”

“…Instead, it just avoids obstacles using a set of ultrasonic sensors on every robot's side, which means the robot's path for disinfection is not necessarily the most efficient. In contrast to the tower-shaped robots proposed by the two aforementioned papers, Conte et al proposed a rectangular-shaped robot equipped with an arm [12]. Their robot is encircled with short UV lights, in combination with another UV light at the arm's end-effector.…”

Progress in robotics for combating infectious diseases

“…Most disinfection robots use two-dimensional (2D) maps, but they are insufficient to identify and ensure that all 3D surfaces are disinfected. To overcome this limitation, a method for projecting surface dosage using light properties was developed to create 3D maps of disinfected areas (63).…”

Robots in healthcare as envisioned by care professionals

“…Many other AI-enabled robots have been introduced for general mobility assistance, feeding assistance, transferring a patient between a wheelchair and their bed, monitoring, bathing, and providing emotional and cognitive care [42]. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront risks specific to infectious diseases coming from personto-person contact, thus shedding new light on the numerous roles that robots could play in disinfecting [24,12], mitigating the negative health effects of social isolation [32], and even enforcing social distancing [48].…”