An increasing number of hospitals in the U.S. and other countries are turning to robots for cleaning and disinfecting their rooms, surgical theaters, and equipment. According to a Meticulous Research report, the International Federation of Robotics revealed the demand for cleaning robots has increased by 92% since 2020. The report also revealed that the global disinfection robotics market is expected to be worth $2.79 billion by 2028.
Disinfection robots are among the latest technologies making a difference in healthcare. They use a variety of methods to disinfect the air and surfaces in hospitals to reduce the spread of infections within those facilities. They decrease the risk of exposure to viruses and bacteria, and reduce the time and resources spent on cleaning processes. The ongoing global health crisis has been a stark reminder of the need to combat highly infectious viruses and bacteria as best we can. Find out how robots and other technology are assisting us in the fight.
Robots such as Xenex Disinfection Services’ LightStrike are being used in numerous hospitals in the US to disinfect patient and operating rooms and N95 masks. According to NS Medical Devices, Northeast Florida-based Baptist Health was one of the first healthcare providers to dedicate robots to mask cleaning and preservation. Whether they are cleaning rooms or masks, the LightStrike robots use xenon ultraviolet light to deactivate microorganisms by damaging their DNA and preventing them from mutating or multiplying.
When it comes to hospital cleaning in Philadelphia, last year, the University of Pennsylvania Health System opened an $80 million facility in Southwest Philadelphia. The Inquirer reported that the facility was constructed for the sterilization of surgical instruments such as clips, scissors, and tools used by robotic arms from the health system’s hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital. Stainless steel machines use steam from purified water to clean the instruments before they are repackaged and returned to the hospitals.