UV Robot

Hospital/healthcare acquired infections (HAI) are a significant burden for every hospital around the world. In particular viruses such as the new SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 disease and antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as the Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) which causes life-threatening digestive system symptoms, cannot be completely eliminated via traditional cleaning methods.

Although UV-C light was proven to be efficient in killing bacteria and viruses, the current solutions such as UV lamps have limited efficiency (low power), are immobile and difficult to move from room to room in a pandemic situation when the risk of infection of the cleaning personnel is very high. On the other hand, the current robotic solutions are large in size and very expensive (i.e. a LightStrikeTM/Xenex costs over $130,000) and therefore difficult to implement in secondary or tertiary hospitals and doctor offices with limited resources, or places with complicated floor plan where an autonomous robot cannot easily navigate by itself. In addition, the UV light exposure is not customized to the room size risking incomplete disinfection.

To address this issue, we plan to develop a smart, cost-effective UV robot (UVRO) for bacterial and viral disinfection with remote video control for navigation and safe disinfection of hard to reach places.
The UV robot will be innovative at several levels: (a) the small size will allow operation in tight and hard to reach spaces between furniture, (b) video camera remote control will allow remote operation from a safe location during infection control restrictions, (c) rugged design will allow navigation over some small obstacles such as power cords and conduits, (d) smart design with novel sensors to customize disinfection time to the size of the room, and (e) UV lamp orientation will allow a wider UV exposure to the wall and the ceiling.
The main health benefits of using the UVRO robot are: better bacterial and viral disinfection of hospital rooms and other living spaces, reduced rate of HAI and morbidity and mortality of patients at risk for infections, and improved protection of cleaning personnel against potentially deadly viruses and bacteria via remote operation from a safe location.
The team is experienced in building medical devices from the Harvard Medical School and medical product industry. They have a vast expertise in biomedical research and product development. In addition, they will partner with a local company to efficiently implement the solution.

E-mail: contact@restoresurgical.com