OhmniLabs, which develops autonomous mobile robotics, has announced the launch of OhmniClean, a fully autonomous robot that disinfects areas using UV-C light. At just 58 pounds, the OhmniClean is designed for use in hospitals, schools, hotels and other environments that require deep cleaning in high-touch, hard-to-reach places.
Surfacide, which develops UV-C technologies for cleaning and disinfection, has announced Eos, a portable, hospital-grade UV light disinfection device aimed at high-traffic, everyday spaces such as schools, offices, gyms, hotels, and restaurants. The company said Eos is a stand-alone alternative to the company’s robotic Helios System, a trio of UV robots that aims to fight pathogens in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The International Federation of Robotics has reported that the market of professional service robots worldwide has reached $6.7 billion, up 12% compared with 2020. At the same time, sales of new consumer service robots grew 16% to $4.4 billion. The figures are part of the IFR’s World Robotics 2021 report.
Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) in Maryland has announced it will deploy dozens of ADIBOT robots by UBTECH to protect students, teachers and staff with its UV-C disinfecting technology. UBTECH said this marks the largest deployment of ADIBOT units in a single school district to date, with more than 130,000 students and 22,000 staff in the district.
Read more: UBTECH Deploys Disinfection Robots to Maryland...
Aero HygenX and Ethiopian Airlines Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining a plan for fleetwide deployment and regional marketing of Aero HygenX’s autonomous UV-C light disinfection robot, RAY. The MoU signing marks a first foray into the African market for Aero HygenX, a Canadian technology company offering aviation companies a safe, efficient, and chemical-free solution designed for aircraft cabins and rail cars.
Energy Focus has announced that its mUVe robot, an autonomous and chemical-free UVC disinfection robot, will be the official Virus-Targeted UVC Robo-Disinfector for next week’s LightFair 2021 conference and trade show, being held Oct. 25-29 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York.
Denmark’s UVD Robots has announced a global partnership agreement with OCC Commercial Consulting to help bring its UV-C disinfection robots to supermarkets, food service and retail environments. The company also announced receiving a second order of 100 robots from the European Commission, following a 200-robot order in November 2020.
Skyline Robotics has announced it has secured $6 million in funding to expand and deploy its Ozmo window-cleaning robots in North America. The company also announced the appointment of Michael Brown as CEO and chairman of the board, and Ross Blum as the company’s chief operating officer.
Avidbots, which develops autonomous floor-scrubbing robots, has announced the launch of its Disinfection Add-On, expanding the functionality of its robot, Neo. With the add-on, customers can autonomously disinfect high-touch, 3D surfaces with Neo 2 in addition to floor care.
China’s Keenon Robotics Co., which develops service robots for both delivery and disinfection purposes, has announced raising $200 million in Series D funding. The company said this round is the largest round of funding in the service robot field. The funding round was led by Softbank Vision Fund 2, followed by CICC Alpha and Prosperity7 Ventures (the diversified growth fund of Aramco Ventures).
Eufy, a smart home brand by Anker Innovations, has announced a new generation of robotic vacuum, the RoboVac X8 and X8 Hybrid. The hybrid model features mopping and vacuuming functions within the same unit.
Read more: Eufy Debuts Hybrid RoboVac for Vacuuming, Mopping
Attleboro, Mass., Public Schools have announced they are deploying sanitation robots to help eliminate the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. The school system is deploying the ADIBOT disinfection system from robotics firm UBTECH to assist with the school district’s sanitation efforts, which resulted in negligible in-district transmission among students, teachers, and staff during the 2020-21 school year.
South Korea’s Tas Global has announced the commercialization of a hull cleaning robot that can clean a ship’s surface above and under the water line. Attaching strongly and softly on a ship, the robot can clean while moving freely on curved surfaces. It includes various sensors and eight cameras facing all directions. While the robot weighs 200 kg, it can move smoothly by maintaining a positive buoyancy. An in-house developed portable filtration system, connected to the robot, can clean microorganisms and microparticles in three stages.
Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton, Ga., has announced it has deployed two Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots to help stop the spread of germs, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has announced that unit sales of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in the logistics sector will increase by 31% between 2020 and 2023 annually. In addition, the use of AMRs in public environments will also rise rapidly – almost 40% per year worldwide – as well as professional cleaning robots (41% combined annual growth rate).
4ocean has announced the arrival of the BeBot, an eco-friendly beach-cleaning robot that mechanically sifts sand to remove plastic waste and other debris without harming the local environment. The goal of the system is to restore coastlines while preserving the natural environment.