Concept: American startup OhmniLabs has introduced OhmniClean, an autonomous mobile robot that disinfects facilities using UV-C (ultraviolet C) light. It can help disinfect environments requiring deep cleanings such as hospitals, hotels, and schools. The startup claims OhmniClean to be the world’s lightest and efficient cleaning robot with nearly no downtime for facilities. OhmniClean robot can cover more areas quickly and efficiently while reducing the required number of cleaning staff.

Nature of Disruption: The cleaning staff can place OhmniClean in the space that needs to be cleaned after ensuring the security checklist and pressing the start button to proceed with the disinfection process. It offers Push-to-Map technology that maps rooms quickly and easily that enables the robot to disinfect and sanitize the space autonomously based on the cleaning routine defined by the Push-to-Map technology. OhmniClean can automatically adjust its location to give maximum UV light coverage, removing the shadows cast by static UV units. The robot includes remote switches, motion sensors, and an active safety system to ensure the safety of the cleaning staff when working with UV light. Detailed cleaning reports are available instantly to verify the effectiveness. It also sends notifications to staff once cleaning is done and generates cleaning reports instantly. The startup claims that OhmniClean’s continuous 254nm UV-C light can eliminate pathogens such as P. aeruginosa, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), E. coli, and SARS-CoV-2 with 99.999% efficacy.

Outlook: Despite being concerned about keeping their physical locations clean, most businesses adhered to traditional ways to disinfect and clean. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that these measures are insufficient to keep the population safe. Also, these deep-cleaning products contain chemicals that can harm hospital and custodial staff. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have both confirmed that UV light disinfection is an effective and chemical-free technique to eliminate COVID and other infections. OhmniLabs address this concern with an autonomous, mobile robot that uses UV-C light to disinfect. By providing hospital-grade disinfection without the use of harsh chemicals, hours of labor, or the risk of human error, OhmniClean seeks to eliminate the risk of bacteria and viral transmission. The startup has raised a total of $4M in funding rounds from investors including SCB 10X and Monozukuri.

This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk