The researchers believe the approach could be used to autonomously disinfect other environments, such as factories, restaurants, supermarkets, and schools. The system is capable of mapping a given space, and can navigate between waypoints and other specific areas.
“As we drive the robot through the food bank, we are also investigating new control policies that will allow the robot to adapt to changes in the environment and ensure that all areas receive the appropriate estimated dose,” said Alyssa Pierson, CSAIL research scientist and technician. lead on this project, he said in a statement. “We are focused on remote operation to minimize human supervision, and therefore the additional risk of spreading Covid-19, while our system is running.”
UVC light is sometimes used to sterilize patient rooms and other medical settings. The MTA is currently testing UV light boxes as a way to disinfect subways and buses. We’ve also seen UV light used to clean humidifiers and airplane toilets.
“We are excited to see that the UVC disinfectant robot supports our community in this time of need,” said CSAIL Director and project leader Daniela Rus. “The insights we get from working at GBFB have highlighted several algorithmic challenges. We plan to address them to expand the scope of autonomous UV disinfection in complex spaces, including dormitories, schools, airplanes and supermarkets. “
