Coro-bot, a universal autonomous disinfection robot from a company in Korea, is an advanced multi-functional robot platform that carries out 3D disinfection to serve the current non-contact environment arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
If anything has been made crystal clear since December 2019, it’s that till the COVID-19 pandemic began, hygiene was far from a core concern in one’s life. Since then, however, sanitation and hygienic living practices have become hot-button issues in many of the world’s developed countries. While the global population has, on the whole, embraced wearing masks and using hand sanitizers as a standard practice, that alone is not enough.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed one of humanity’s most significant weaknesses: we don’t clean up enough. And, yes, while it is true that it’s humanly impossible to attend to every sanitary or public health risk individually, that’s where technological innovation steps in.
For almost a year and a half, cleanliness has dominated the innovation sphere, as was made evident at CES 2020. The 2021 edition of the world’s largest electronics and tech innovation event saw this trend expanded upon. Another trend at CES 2021, South Korean innovations are racking up accolades left, right and center! The world’s most innovative country lived up to its moniker at CES 2021. It took home the Innovation Award in Robotics for the borderline-revolutionary sanitation device called the “Coro-bot.”
Anti-Virus Has a New Meaning at CES 2021
Sanitation products had a field day at CES 2021: from Health & Wellness to Wearable Technology and even Smart Home Appliances, hygiene seemed to be the theme of the event. The star? Ultraviolet Sanitation.
Anti-viral technology found a new meaning, as the top innovators from around the world showcased products aimed at tackling the issue of surface contact with viruses and other such disease-bearing micro-entities.
Honorees included a product that disinfects and acts as a storage compartment for keyboards and other small devices. Another product professionally disinfects eyewear with the help of UV rays.
But the crème-de-la-crème of sanitation tech comes from South Korean startup Hills Engineering.
Clean, Easy, Safe: Hills Engineering’s CES Model of Innovation
As a company dedicated to transforming the world of logistics, Hills Engineering has invested a lot of time and money in researching and developing logistical solutions that optimize the entire experience.
Hills Engineering’s core philosophy is, perhaps most appropriately, tailored around the CES innovation model: Clean, Easy, & Safe logistical solutions, as opposed to the 3 Ds (Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous) that dominate this work environment.
Hills Engineering seeks to bring about this change through the power of Artificial Intelligence and smart bots, building on the 5S Principle (Smart, Standard, Safety, Stability, Sustainability) for managing logistical services.
While their existing products focus on the locomotive aspect of logistics (like Logis-bot and their High-End Foldable Scooter), their piece de resistance addresses the world’s current concern and transportation’s oldest: the possibility of disease spreading through their facilities.
Coro-Bot: The Ultimate Sanitation Device
What do you want your ideal place of work to be like? Clean, Easy to access, and Safe to work at, right? Well, Hills Engineering’s Coro-bot aims to create that exact work environment.
The Coro-bot, short for Corona Robot, is an unmanned, autonomous robot that has been fitted with advanced sterilization and Artificial Intelligence mechanisms to create a Smart Cleaning Robot that facilitates 3D disinfection.
Equipped with a slider system, this height-adjustable bot can cover all surfaces, from floor to ceiling. For regular surfaces within reach, the flexible H-Arm and V-Arm are utilized in the disinfection process. An articulated robot arm is also attached to the rig to cover uneven surfaces.
The Coro-bot’s approach to cleanliness is three-pronged.
First, it provides instant sterilization, keeping spaces clean while maintaining zero contact through UVC rays. UVC has been proven effective against the novel coronavirus, as it renders the virus inactive upon exposure. This method is mainly reserved for the floors and ceilings of the space you want to disinfect.
The second is the use of medicinal disinfection that occurs through spraying equipment attached to the sides of the Coro-bot. It disinfects walls and other lateral spaces at a rate of 1.2 meters/second.
Thirdly, it keeps the air clean by killing airborne bacteria and viruses with its air circulator. All these functions are performed by this single robot without supervision, thanks to Artificial Intelligence and deep learning.
Coro-Bot: The Smart Sanitation Worker
The Coro-bot stays true to recent trends in K-Innovation and integrates technology in every step of its working process. Artificial Intelligence and 5G are significant factors in its functioning.
The Coro-bot is smart enough to avoid unwanted contact with surfaces or people, due to its advanced driving and collision avoidance algorithm. But perhaps more impressive is the fact that the Coro-bot takes care of its own maintenance.
The device’s functioning mechanism is three-fold. First, the Robot Management System primes the robot’s AI-based on its assigned tasks and stores data to improve performance efficiency further.
Second, the Smart Care System notifies and follows up on maintenance suggestions after damage analysis, which is carried out by the Damage Inspection System.
This system uses a vision camera to inspect external damage while internal processors take care of systemic diagnosis. The robot is, in essence, its own service officer. Its advanced technological capabilities make the Coro-bot a truly unique innovation in the world of robotics, worthy of being deemed an Honoree at the 2021 CES Innovation Awards in the Robotics category.
Coro-Bot: A Sanitary Miracle for Logistics (and Otherwise)
Hills Engineering has potentially created an industry-transforming device with the Coro-bot. It will allow for better, more efficient sanitation operations at a faster pace and address the main issue when it comes to sanitation: contact.
Coro-bot can achieve true zero-contact cleanliness, which is desperately required as the world emerges from a global pandemic. Hospitals, warehouses, factories, schools, Coro-bot’s applications are endless. Still, the end-goal of this robotic revolution is rooted in three simple words: to make every occupied space Clean, Easy, & Safe.
