Assignment #3: Research Project/Technical Report Draft 1

 Achieving Higher Level of Cleanliness by implementing Ultra-Violet Technology to the Dyson 360 Heurist






Team Name : AutoBot 



Prof. Brad Blackstone 

UCS 1001

22 Oct 2022











Goh Bin Hong 

2201002

Kaisan Harith Bin Abdul Rahim

2200997






Table of Contents 


Table of content 


Illustrations 


Executive Summary 


  1. Introduction

    1. Background

      1. Overview of Automated Cleaning Robots 

      2. Current Issues and Concerns 

      3. Importance and Benefits of the Automated Cleaning Robots 

      4. Robot Cleaning System 

      5. Ultra-Violet Disinfecting System 

      6. Uses Of The Robots In Different Environment 

      7. Effects of Using The Ultra-Violet Lights

    2. Problem Statement 

    3. Purpose Statement 


























Illustrations 












































Executive Summary 












































  1. Introduction






  1. Background

  1. Overview of Automated Cleaning Robots
    Research and development for automated cleaning robots have been on the rise in recent years. With higher demand for higher cleaning standards, consumers have directed their attention towards automated, robotic cleaning robots. In 2014, studies have shown that “the global family vacuum cleaners market size was valued at USD $11200 million” and is expected to reach a new value of “US $18,936.9 million by 2026” (Prayash et al., 2019). Key stakeholders such as Dyson Ltd., iRobot Cooperation and Samsung Electronics Company Ltd. are just a few of the numerous companies spearheading research and development in the global autonomous floor-cleaning robot market for the robots to complete assigned cleaning tasks without the need for human intervention (Parween et al., 2020).


  1. Current Issues and Concerns of UVC cleaning robots

    1. Users have to rearrange furniture to not obstruct the robot's navigation system. Robots stop functioning when items/furniture are moved (Astrid et al., 2021).

    2. Shadows render UVC inefficient due to low concentrations of UV(Astrid et al., 2021).

    3. Contaminants on surfaces reduce effectiveness of killing bacteria(Diab-El Schahawi et al., 2021).

    4. High cost of $55,165 USD per robot(Zaman et al., 2022)

    5. While UVC technology improves surface decontamination, they do not simplify current cleaning processes and  can only currently serve as ‘add-on’ features to manual cleaning by qualified cleaning staff(Astrid et al., 2021).



  1. Importance and Benefits of the Automated Cleaning Robots 


Studies have shown up to 7% of the patients in developed and 10% of the patients in developing countries develops at least one healthcare-associated infections (HAI)s which leads to a longer stay and increased costs (Astrid F. , et. al, 2021). Hospitals have adopted stringent measures such as cleaning and disinfecting the hospital rooms at regular intervals by trained personnel as a form of prevention of the spread of pathogens and HAIs. (Astrid F. , et. al, 2021). Automated cleaning robots were then introduced to help with the cleaning efforts of hospitals as statistics show “that more than 50% of surfaces may go untouched by manual cleaning” (Astrid F., et. al, 2021). Thus, automated cleaning robots equipped with UV-C technology are implemented due to its capabilities in “killing bacteria, viruses,fungi and even spores” (Astrid F., et. al, 2021).


Robot cleaning robots have largely been implemented in many various work environments as they have been proven to be “safer for employees, more efficient and environmentally friendlier than traditional cleaning methods” (Ecoserv, 2nd Nov 2021). With the help of sensors, the robots are able to operate at multiple areas while avoiding collision with people or machinery nearby. Also, the usage of robot cleaning negates the possibility of human error and puts humans at less risk when it comes to dangerous areas (Ecoserv, 2nd Nov 2021).









  1. Robot Cleaning System 

  2. Ultra-Violet Disinfecting System 


Ultra-Violet (UV) Light in the electromagnetic Spectrum it’s a type of radiation with the wavelength of 400nm - 1nm. UV radiation is classified to 3 types, UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA has the longest wavelength while UVB has wavelength short than UVA, and UVC has the shortest 


The range which are  used by disinfecting system have wavelength of 200nm - 280nm (IUVA, n.d). This wavelength range is known to be one of the most effective method to kill bacteria without using harmful toxic chemicals.


Ultra-Violet (UV) System have been used for many years by hospital, healthcare professionals, and in water and air purification.. UV disinfecting System kills viruses and kills bacteria, this is done so by using their light to emit UV rays, targeting proteins and genetic material. (Gillespie, 2021). Karen Dobos, PhD, and a professor in the department of Microbiology, immunology and pathology at Colorado State university mention that, “UV Speed up cross-linking of this genetic material, which reduces the ability of genetic materials to participate in healthy replication”.




  1. Uses Of The Robots In Different Environment 



In the recent light of the SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak, automated cleaning robots have been incorporated in many different environments to increase the standards of cleanliness and reduce the need of human labour for the extensive cleaning schedules to prevent the spread of pathogens. The San Diego hospital uses the LightStrike robot equipped with UV light technology enabling it to disinfect up to 99.99% of the viruses that causes covid in less than 5 minutes (Lerman R., 2020). With this, the capabilities of the LightStrike robot far surpassed the abilities of a human cleaner in efficiency while providing an increase in staffing levels required to operate the robots and do general cleaning (Lerman R., 2020).


In the UK alone, “the rail industry spent £5.8 billion on their operation expenses in the 2018-19 period” which a huge amount of it is used for cleaning and maintenance of the trains (Western N., Kong X., Erden M.S., 2021). Although the current methods of manual cleaning is efficient, the usage of cleaning robots has the potential to reduce the costs of cleaning trains. Health problems may arise for cleaners upon performing their duties such being in a poor ergonomic position for the back when reaching underneath seats to reach those hard to reach areas. Moreover, the usage of these cleaning robots puts cleaners safely away from encountering biological waste that may be found on contact surfaces during cleaning. Thus, the usage of cleaning robots is available for usage in a variety of workplaces or even homes as it efficient, versatile and adaptive.

 



  1. Effects of Using The Ultra-Violet Lights



The usage of UV light can be seen in various environments such as in aircrafts and buildings (Honeywell, n.d). In addition UV technology are used to help hospital to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus by cleaning and disinfecting surfaces which may contain the bacterial (Lualdi et.al, 2021)


To improve the capabilities of the autonomous cleaning robots to keep the user’s environment safer.  A new iteration is needed to improve the standard of cleaning and disinfecting. Understanding the need and benefits of improving the current cleaning capabilities is critical for mitigating the spread of bacteria and viruses. 

These viruses are able to be spread through the air or touch of different individuals who come into contact with the surfaces.


For the idea to be effective, the Dyson 360 Heurist should have an additional feature of a UV system being, in order to clean and sanitize at the same time.

 






  1. Problem Statement


Cleaning robots are only able to clean floors, leaving high-contact surfaces to be unclean, potentially spreading germs when people come into contact with the surfaces, resulting in the likelihood of pathogens and illnesses being transmitted. With the implementation of UV technology to Dyson’s Heurist, Autobot ensures that high contact surfaces are sanitized with UV light and floors are kept clean with the Dyson 360 Heurist. This in return helps achieve higher levels of cleanliness.


  1. Purpose Statement ( Need to Edit )


The report proposes an innovative addition of a new function to cleaning appliances manufacturer, Dyson, to add a UV light sensor to improve on efficiency and quality of cleaning




References 


Honeywell (n.d). How UV light helps clean air and surface explained. https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/news/2020/07/how-uv-light-helps-clean-air-and-surfaces-explained 


IUVA (n.d).IUVA Fact Sheet on UV Disinfection for COVID-19 https://iuva.org/IUVA-Fact-Sheet-on-UV-Disinfection-for-COVID-19


Lualdi, M., Cavalleri, A., Bianco, A. et al. Ultraviolet C lamps for disinfection of surfaces potentially contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 in critical hospital settings: examples of their use and some practical advice. BMC Infect Dis 21, 594 (2021).     https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06310-5

Astrid, F., Beata, Z., Van den Nest , M., Julia, E., Elisabeth, P., & Magda, D.-E. (2021). The use of a UV-C disinfection robot in the routine cleaning process: A field study in an academic hospital. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-021-00945-4

Diab-El Schahawi, M., Zingg, W., Vos, M., Humphreys, H., Lopez-Cerero, L., Fueszl, A., Zahar, J. R., & Presterl, E. (2021). Ultraviolet disinfection robots to improve hospital cleaning: Real promise or just a gimmick? Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-020-00878-4

Parween, R., Vega Heredia, M., Rayguru, M. M., Enjikalayil Abdulkader, R., & Elara, M. R. (2020). Autonomous self-reconfigurable floor cleaning robot. IEEE Access, 8, 114433–114442. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.2999202

Prayash, H. A. S. H., Shaharear, M. R., Islam, M. F., Islam, S., Hossain, N., & Datta, S. (2019). Designing and optimization of an autonomous vacuum floor cleaning robot. 2019 IEEE International Conference on Robotics, Automation, 

Artificial-Intelligence and Internet-of-Things (RAAICON). https://doi.org/10.1109/raaicon48939.2019.11

Zaman, A., Shahjahan Majib, M., Tanjim, S. A., Siddique, S. M., Islam, S., Aadeeb, M. S., Khan, N. I., Haque, R., Islam, M. R., Faisal, M. R., Malik, S., & Islam, M. N. (2022). UVC-purge: A novel cost-effective disinfection robot for combating COVID-19 pandemic. IEEE Access, 10, 37613–37634. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2022.3163243 

https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-021-00945-4

https://ecoserv.net/the-benefits-of-industrial-robot-cleaning/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/09/08/robot-cleaners-surge-pandemic/

https://www.sciencedirect.com.singaporetech.remotexs.co/science/article/pii/S2212827121005023


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