"Magnet" began to test a disinfectant robot

2021: Disinfectant Robot Testing

The Magnit retail chain on April 9, 2021 announced that it had begun testing a UltraBot robot for intelligent disinfection of premises with ultraviolet radiation. According to test tests, the robot is able to treat one supermarket in 30-40 minutes with a fraction of the destruction of up to 99.9% major viruses and bacteria, including coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The prototype for testing taking into account the needs of Magnit was developed by specialists from the Skoltech robotics laboratory and the InEnergy group of companies.

According to information for April 2021, due to built-in 3D cameras, the robot determines the most visited and, as a result, the most polluted zones, draws up a map of the room and selects a cleaning program using ultraviolet radiation. All this robot solves independently due to the system of analysis and recognition of images, and artificial intelligence allows you to determine the power, concentration of radiation and the duration of disinfection.

The robot also independently decides on the need for additional cleaning and makes repeated passage of the route. Advanced dynamic navigation and cartography algorithms allow it to move offline, bypassing obstacles and creating no inconvenience when using it.

UltraBot can work without recharging for up to four hours. Since in case of disinfection with ultraviolet radiation, people should not be in the room, the robot, in the event of detection of a person within a radius of 10 meters, turns off the UV-C lamps.

According to the results of test tests in one of the stores of the Magnit chain, the robot showed high efficiency and removal with a fraction of up to 99.9% of microorganisms of the 3-4 pathogenic group (the list of which includes whooping cough, tetanus, tuberculosis, malaria, staphylococcus, etc.). In a few minutes, the robot treated more than 30 racks with ultraviolet radiation, as well as food cart handles. At the same time, the UltraBot moved at a speed of 1 km per hour, keeping at a distance of 60 and 90 cm to the racks. During the testing, which was carried out outside working hours, samples were taken before and after disinfection and sent to the laboratory. Experts confirmed the absence of any bacteria and viruses, as well as the fact that the total number of microbes after treatment tends to zero.

The company carefully analyzed the test results, formulating additional requirements for developers. One of the key is the possibility of killing viruses and bacteria that cause food damage.

"In the context of pandemic and restrictive actions in connection with the covid, the disinfectant robot is an effective alternative to the classic disinfection of premises. It allows you to do this work autonomously and safely for the life and health of customers and employees. At the same time, the processing process is significantly simplified, labor costs are reduced, the quality of disinfection is increased and operational costs are reduced. The prototype we tested is capable of handling not only stores, but also larger premises, in particular distribution centers. After finalization, we plan to conduct several more tests and make a decision to scale the project, "said Yevgeny Jamalov, director of innovation at the Magnit network.

"The key focus in the development of the robot we put on safety for humans. Since far ultraviolet is dangerous to the cornea of the eyes and can cause skin irritation with short exposure, we have made UltraBot as safe as possible. To do this, we applied a two-section arrangement of lamps so that UltraBot could independently turn off the section that is dangerous, while the second section would continue to work on disinfection. We also developed an algorithm for recognizing a person according to data from LIDAR and cameras located along the outline of the robot, "said Stepan Perminov, master of Skoltech.

"The robot UltraBot thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and high-voltage ultraviolet light technologies, is able to conduct high-quality autonomous disinfection, which will significantly increase the safety of visiting stores, supermarkets and shopping centers both in the conditions of the COVID pandemic and in the spread of seasonal viral infections (SARS, flu). It is very important that after disinfection, no prolonged ventilation of premises is required and corrosion of materials does not occur as in the case of traditional aerosol disinfection. The Skoltech team is working on an improved prototype of the robot based on proposals received during field tests in the Magnit store, "said Dmitry Teteryukov, professor, head of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, Skoltech.