Automated Cleaning Robot for Air Force Bases and Facilities in a Pandemic and Post Pandemic World

Knowing the destructive and disruptive power of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Air Force must find a solution that rids installations of the novel coronavirus while keeping Custodial Services personnel and all airmen safe.  The ideal solution will also provide customized feedback to easily track costs and workflow, as well as one that will provide mission readiness in the case of future infectious threats. Peanut Robotics was founded in 2018 with an innovative solution for robotic cleaning and disinfecting.  Using protocols and chemicals rated by the EPA as having 99.999% efficacy against human coronaviruses, the Peanut Robot enables essential entities, such as healthcare operations, grocery stores, and educational institutions, to safely and cost-effectively clean and thoroughly disinfect commonly used spaces and high-touch surfaces.  Please see a Peanut robot cleaning a hotel bathroom at www.peanutrobotics.com. Safeguarding the health of all airmen is of paramount importance to the Air Force. The automated nature of the Peanut Robot allows for highly effective cleaning (using a combination of damp cloth scrubbing, UV-C light, and specialized disinfectant spray) which is not practically safe for human personnel to perform.  The robot is flexibile, Air Force Custodial Services personnel could continue to perform some or all of the traditional cleaning activities and rely on the Peanut Robot to perform COVID-related cleaning tasks, or the Peanut robot could take over substantial portions of existing cleaning if desired.. During the initial two-month effort of this Phase I project, Peanut Robotics will contact AFIMSC’s Facility Operations Branch and those responsible for the oversight and budgeting of the USAF Custodial Services Program. The focus of this Phase I will be to gather the strategic needs and ultimate goals of the USAF Custodial Services Program.  Peanut Robotics will collect use cases and note the protocols currently observed by the Custodial Services Program to gain a robust understanding of the needs of the Air Force in order to formulate a plan to customize the Peanut Robot technology.