Covid-19: Development of A Robotic Disinfection System for Covid-19

COVID-19的爆发对加拿大和世界各地造成了损失，影响并威胁着我们的生活。为了遏制传播，各级政府已经宣布了几项措施，如社交距离，洗手和戴口罩。病毒传播的一个主要途径是通过接触受污染的物体和表面区域，因为COVID-19病原体可以在数小时至数天的长时间内保持传染性。因此，迫切需要为包括医院和长期护理设施在内的公共场所找到有效的消毒方法。然而，现有的基于化学品或基于UV光的非接触式消毒方法都对人类有害。为了解决这个问题，拟议研究的目标是开发一种对操作员安全的非接触式机器人消毒方法。具体来说，将研究两种对人体危害小得多的消毒方法：1）蓝光和2）加热空气。将开发、测试和比较两种相应的具有计算机控制的消毒装置。机器人系统将由移动平台、机器人和消毒设备组成。目标是在目标位置快速设置，以便在5-10分钟内进行操作。通过使用机器人来减少人类直接参与非接触式消毒过程的需求，我们将同时减少目前暴露于危险环境的工人的健康风险，并提供一种有效的公共场所消毒和消毒方法。该项目将与一家领先的加拿大机器人公司（Engineering Services Inc.- ESI）和具有内科学和毒理学专业知识的医学专业人员。在COVID - 19全球大流行的直接危机之后，已开发的系统将继续广泛应用于公共场所的消毒。因此，该项目的成果将确保公众在这段艰难时期的安全和福祉，并在未来多年产生长期和重大的影响，不仅降低COVID - 19的传播风险，而且降低未来其他细菌和病毒污染物的传播风险。

The outbreak of COVID-19 has taken its toll on Canada and around the world, impacting and threatening our life. To curtail the spread, all levels of government have announced several measures such as social distancing, hand washing, and mask-wearing. One main route of viral transmission is through touching contaminated objects and surface areas because COVID-19 pathogens can remain infectious for extended periods of time from hours to days. For this reason, there is an imminent demand to find effective disinfection methods for public settings including hospitals and long-term care facilities. However, existing non-contact disinfection methods which are either chemical-based or UV light-based, are both hazardous to humans. To resolve this issue, the objective of the proposed research is to develop a non-contact robotic disinfection method that is safe to the operator. Specifically, two disinfection methods that are much less harmful to humans will be investigated: 1) blue light and 2) heated air. Two corresponding disinfection devices with computer control will be developed, tested and compared. The robotic system will consist of a moving platform, a robot, and a disinfection device. The goal is to have a quick set up at a target location for operation within 5-10 minutes. By using a robot to reduce the need for humans to be directly involved in non-contact disinfection processes we will simultaneously reduce health risks to workers who are currently exposed to hazardous environments and provide an efficient means of disinfecting and sanitizing public settings. This project will be conducted in collaboration with a leading Canadian robotics company (Engineering Services Inc.- ESI) and a medical professional with expertise in Internal Medicine and Toxicology. Developed systems will continue to be widely applicable for the disinfection of public spaces beyond the immediate crisis of the COVID - 19 global pandemic. The outcome of the project will therefore ensure public safety and wellbeing in this arduous time and for many years to come with long-lasting and significant impact in reducing risks for the spread of not only COVID - 19, but also other bacterial and viral contaminants in future.