COVID-19 has been in our lives and in the global news every day since the pandemic began and that trend looks set to continue for a significant time to come. Any why is this? Because this particular respiratory virus is not only very easily transmitted through the air or contact with infected people and surfaces, but has also been rapidly mutating, allowing it to infect even triple-vaccinated individuals. Over the course of just the past 2 years, we have witnessed the Alpha variant, Beta variant, Gamma variant, Delta variant and now the Omicron variant, and just this week the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that more variants are likely. So in a world where COVID-19 looks to be here to stay, how can we return to some kind of normality whilst also keeping safe? Well, technology has been invaluable in our fight against COVID-19 since the start. Whether it’s been helping us understand the virus to create vaccines, or the development of track and trace apps, technology has been our saving grace through the pandemic. In this blog, we will take a look at how technology can continue to help us by using robotics to protect people from Omicron and other COVID-19 variants.
COVID-19 is easily spread through the air by breathing in contaminated droplets and small airborne particle. As such, the WHO advises avoiding the 3Cs: spaces that are closed, crowded or involve close contact because the risk of infection from airborne particles greatly increases when indoors due to the close proximity to others and enclosed space.
Other than the airborne transmissibility, there is also the issue of the virus surviving on surfaces long after the infected person has left. Though it is not totally certain, it would appear that COVID-19 behaves like other coronaviruses, i.e. it can survive on surfaces from anywhere between 2 hours to 9 days, depending on the material type, temperature, humidity and strain of the virus.
The more the virus is able to spread, the more likely mutations can occur. Though avoiding close proximity with people indoors and regularly cleaning surfaces is the best way to stop the spread of virus, it is not easy for humans to do in reality. We have work, we have school, we go the shops, etc. and humans are not able to keep all these environment clean 24/7…but disinfection robots can.
It would not only be costly but nigh on impossible for humans to keep environments hygienically clean 24/7, meaning the virus can still easily be spread. Disinfection robots, such as GF Technovation’s VirusGuard shown below, on the other hand, are able to perform this task.
GF Technovation’s VirusGuard is particularly suited to areas with high human traffic such as shopping malls, lobbies, offices, hospitals and schools. It helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases by dispersing an aerosolized disinfectant (chlorine dioxide and phytoncide with 99.99% bactericide efficacy for all bacteria and viruses tested, including COVID-19, and certified safe for humans in lab tests) as it moves through the area using auto-pilot along pre-set routes. The spray disinfects both the air and surfaces it lands on and can reach up to 4.5 meters away, making it ideal for large open areas. This disinfection area is larger and much more effective at eradicating COVID-19 and other pathogens than other robots on the market boasting disinfection capabilities.
The robot is completely autonomous, running 24/7, only stopping to return to its base automatically for recharging. Emergency stop and anti-collision technology are built in and it can even auto-navigate into elevators for multi-floor cleaning. The only human intervention needed is to refill the large disinfection tank when the refill alert is triggered.
VirusGuard not only helps to effectively prevent COVID-19 and its variants from spreading more effectively than any humans could, it also significantly reduces cleaning manpower costs.
GF Technovation offers robotics solutions in Hong Kong for everything from security, to hygiene and elderly care. Contact their team of experts today to understand more about how robotics can be used not only in the fight against Omicron and other COVID-19 variants, but also in many other diverse applications too.
