Danish technology is going to fight bacteria and viruses in municipal buildings in the city of Odense. The Health Committee in the municipality has just decided to sign an agreement with UVD Robots, a subsidiary of Blue Ocean Robotics, regarding testing of autonomous UV disinfection robots at a school and a rehabilitation facility. The pilot project is a part of an effort towards making Odense the world’s best robot city, where close cooperation between the city’s technology and robot companies is an important component.
“Today we have UVD robots being used worldwide both in the healthcare sector and the hotel industry, airports, shopping malls, food companies, cleaning industries, cruise ships, pharmaceutical companies, office complexes and many other places. They contribute in reducing the risk of infections and the spreading of these. Several independent tests document a great effect in terms of neutralizing covid-19 with just 10 seconds of use of UV light. Therefore, we are pleased to make a difference in our own country and that Odense Municipality now chooses to try out our disinfection robots in some of their buildings,” says Per Juul Nielsen, CEO of UVD Robots.
The members of the Health Committee in Odense Municipality prioritize spending 300.000 DKK on the pilot project that will expand over four months.
“We are very curious about how a disinfection robot can potentially benefit the citizens. We are in a time where everybody wants to know about general virus control, so it is obvious that we as a municipality, together with the company, investigate whether there is a potential, for example in relation to reducing sickness absence,” says Søren Freiesleben, chairman of the Health Committee.
The UVD robot is autonomous, and can independently eliminate viruses and bacteria by lighting up infected rooms with ultraviolet light of the type UV-C.
One of the robots will become a part of everyday life at Abildgårdskolen, where it is going to supplement the current daily cleaning and be a part of the teaching.
Counselor at The Children and Youth Administration, Susanne Crawley Larsen, is very excited about which rings in the water the robot’s presence in the school will bring with it.
“I have been in contact with the company behind the UVD robot for a long time. It’s hard not to be happy at this time where three administrations and the Health Committee have agreed to test the robot. As a municipality, it is an important job to create the right frames for the local business community, for instance, by letting our schools become arenas for their products. Furthermore, I hope that this will be the beginning of the establishment of the world’s best robot school in Vollsmose. We are happy to invite robots as a supplement for the cleaning service, but also to bring learning about and with the robot close to the children in The world’s best robot city,” says Susanne Crawley Larsen.
“The project is very exciting, and it allows us to cooperate with some of the students in their teachings. They can, for instance, examine the physics and biology behind the UV-technology and as a robot company in Odense, we have the opportunity to open their eyes to the natural science branch of studies. We will need these types of young people in the future,” says Kenneth Ranzau, Sales Manager Northern Europe at UVD Robots.
Counselor at the Elderly and Disability Administration, Søren Windell also welcomes the new disinfection robot in a rehabilitation facility.
“I see a great potential for this type of technology in the area of the elderly and rehabilitation. If we see a notable effect on the hygiene conditions, it can benefit both the elderly and vulnerable citizens, but also our employees who can get help for some of the rough tasks. I am happy to cooperate with UVD Robots, and I look forward to trying it out,” says Søren Windell.
Experiences from projects within the hospital sector indicate that systematic disinfection with UV robots can reduce illnesses by increased hygiene. Therefore, the new pilot project will result in an evaluation that is going to form the basis of a potential continuation of the project.
