Researcher at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, have invented a disinfecting robot, named “XDBOT”, to help in the cleaning tasks inside and outside buildings.
The device, with an arm that mimics human movement, is a box-shaped creation on wheels mounted with a dexterous robotic limb, which can reach awkward locations such as under tables and beds.
It also has a high-powered nozzle for spraying disinfectant and can tackle large surfaces rapidly.
The cleaning robot, which can be controlled remotely with a laptop or tablet, was designed basically to take the pressure off cleaners who are being overwhelmed with tasks as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic while also reducing the risk of their becoming infected with the virus, which has killed over 140,000 people worldwide.
“Using our new robot from a distance, a human operator can precisely control the disinfection process with zero contact with surfaces,” said Chen I-Ming, an NTU scientist who led the project.
The XDBOX differs from others in the markets, which basically are intended to clean floor surfaces and cannot disinfect odd-shaped objects.
It has been tested on the NTU campus, and its creators hope to test it in more public areas and hospitals.
Singapore is battling a fast-moving second wave of infections, with case numbers jumping by 728 Thursday to bring the total to 4,427, including 10 deaths. The outbreak’s epicentre is crowded foreign worker dormitories.
(AFP)
