Hong Kong-based robotics startup Roborn Technology is aiming to become one of the world's major players in the global race to develop affordable automated ultraviolet (UV) light disinfecting robots. In a city mostly known for its financial institutions, Roborn is now in the middle of testing its latest products, which it plans to soon ship worldwide.
The company, which initially started out by selling body-temperature checking robots just a few months ago, is now rolling out its new UV light-equipped robots in Hong Kong's shopping malls and hospitals. Roborn's co-founder, Mark Mak Hin-Yu, stated that the company's robots have proven to be a necessary tool in the city's fight to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. He added that despite the city's strict social distancing measures, sporadic new community infections are still occurring, mainly due to the viruses still lingering in high-traffic public areas.
Roborn claims that disinfecting surface areas using UV light, as opposed to chemicals, is a much safer approach to ensure public safety. The method is also drastically cheaper than chemical-based solutions. The company's robots can also be utilized at anytime of the day by a minimal crew, allowing its operations to be hidden from the public. UV-C light can be dangerous to human skin and eyes when in close proximity, which is why the company advises for its products to be used during hours with the least human traffic.
UV-C light has been proven effective in killing off contaminants such as bacteria and viruses as it has the ability to break down the DNA of microorganisms. The practice of utilizing the spectrum of light to disinfect water, air, and solid surfaces has been used for more than a century but the company's innovative approach of automating the process and selling its end product for cheap is certainly novel.
Roborn's latest model currently sells for about HK$200,000 or roughly $25,800, a fraction of the prices of the devices sold by its rivals in Europe and Asia. The company claims that it was able to reduce the production costs of its products by directly sources components from mainland China.
According to the company, its latest UV disinfecting robot can clean areas of around 100 square feet in just one minute. Much largest areas will of course need a longer exposure time. Unlike chemicals, bacteria and viruses have no real way of adapting or defending themselves against UV light.
A report from Verified Market Research predicts that the global market for UV light-equipped robots could be worth more than $5.6 billion by 2027. The recent spread of the coronavirus pandemic has greatly accelerated the demand for such devices as more establishments look for ways to combat infections within their premises.
