Autonomous Robot for Disinfection at Hospitals

RADAR – an Autonomous Robot for Disinfection at Hospitals – is a project, developed by INESC TEC in partnership with FEUP, CHUSJ, and Hospital de São Martinho, that has been approved by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) within the scope of the Research 4 COVID-19 financing line. The autonomous robot will help to disinfect rooms at hospital units, through sensors and UV lamps.

The prototype is already finished and is in the testing phase. The robot will include an autonomous navigation system i.e. it will be able to locate and navigate through contaminated rooms, monitor the presence of people in the surroundings, and carry out the disinfection process independently. The architecture is modular and adaptable to different robotic platforms that already exist.

The robot will carry out a systematic and uninterrupted cleaning process, thus generating gains in terms of quality, effectiveness and productivity – by favouring the redirecting of human resources to other tasks. In addition, thanks to this robot, healthcare professionals and service providers will not be as exposed to toxic and corrosive products used in said disinfection procedures.

The robot has a graphical interface that helps users observing and changing the robot’s routes and position. The two sensors, one for movement detection, and another for heat detection, stop the disinfection process whenever people are detected. The quantity and power of UVC lamps are adjustable.

This system guarantees disinfection of air and surfaces, with an efficiency of up to 99.9%, thus preventing and reducing the transmission of infectious diseases caused by microorganisms.

It offers several advantages, compared to conventional disinfection processes, such as reducing the exposure of service providers to toxic and corrosive products and not leaving chemical residues.