Rise of the machines Will recent events accelerate the adoption of robotics?
40 INCLEAN July / August 2020
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s businesses move from current lockdown restrictions to recovery and staff prepare to return to work; daily cleaning practices, client expectations, and frequencies of clean are set to be taken to a whole new level to ensure the health and safety of building occupants. One way facilities have responded to COVID-19 is by increasingly leveraging the use of automation and robotics. Autonomous machines are increasingly playing a pivotal role to help minimise the threat of an outbreak, keep up with increased cleaning requirements and reduce human-to-human contact. In recent months, cities around the world have ramped up their use of autonomous floorscrubbing machines and sanitising robots – some even going as far as launching disinfectant drones. From city streets, to retail and healthcare,
the deployment of robotics has brought the value of automation sharply into focus. Beyond the scope of cleaning, robots are being used around the world to distribute products such as hand sanitiser and face masks, check temperatures, and in some cases, even food delivery. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) predicts an average growth rate of 20 per cent to 25 per cent between 2018 and 2020 for the professional service robots’ market, reaching $27 billion in value. UVD Robots, the Danish manufacture of ultraviolet-light-disinfection robots, has shipped hundreds of its machines to hospitals in China and Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Hong Kong International Airport recently implemented a round-theclock robot to clean public toilets and key operating areas in the terminal building.
