SBIR Phase I: COVID-19: Robots for Automating Indoor Disinfection Tasks with Existing Non-Autonomous Devices

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to fully automate frequent and regular disinfection tasks in hospitals, care centers, commercial units, universities, schools, and other indoor spaces. This task has become critically important in light of the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2. By being fully automated, the proposed robotic system reduces human risk and required protective gear (as humans do not need to enter a contaminated zone to move in and position their devices) as well as human workload (due to autonomous operation of the robot system). Current Ultra-Violet C (UVC) disinfection robots utilize integrated bulbs and have limited operation intervals due to the need to frequently recharge, the proposed solution is able to operate a wide variety of disinfection devices like UVC lamps, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, hydrogen peroxide aerosols, and others, and thus, offers maximum versatility to the customer while also allowing for the utilization of the customer’s existing devices. In addition, the assistive system can be instructed in natural language by non-experts and can thus be operated without prior training. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop two autonomous robots that, together, can carry out room disinfection tasks with existing equipment. One challenge with automating disinfection, especially UVC disinfection, is the power consumption of UVC lights and the need for frequent recharging of battery-operated units on autonomous robots. Another is that current robotic solutions have UVC devices integrated, which prevents the use of existing or custom devices. The solution to both challenges is to build a flat carrier robot where existing or custom devices can be mounted and a second robot, tethered to the carrier robot, that can power the device by docking at a purpose-made docking station connected to a wall outlet. While the device is on, both robots will also be able to recharge their batteries and thus operate continuously. Advanced navigation strategies are necessary to ensure that both robots can drive through indoor environments to their target locations without tangling the tether. Both robots will be equipped with laser and camera sensors and utilize joint sensor information communicated via their tether for improving localization and navigation. The result will be a robust autonomous multi-robot system for navigation and disinfection tasks. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.