A new robot developed by MIT in the US is being used to kill coronavirus in a 4,000-square-foot warehouse using ultraviolet light (UV) light. The autonomous machine uses a specific type of short-wavelength UV, known as UVC, to kill microorganisms and disrupt their DNA in a process known as'ultraviolet germicidal irradiation'. UVC is emitted from the bot's four vertical beams as it nips around warehouse aisles, killing 90 per cent of coronavirus particles in 30 minutes. Because UVC light is harmful to humans, the robot has to do its work alone and is sent to do its sanitising shift when human workers have clocked off. The robot can map an entire industrial facility – in this case the Great Boston Food Bank (GBFB), a US non-profit that provides hunger relief.

Researchers from MIT have developed a new way to keep shared spaces free of the coronavirus and other pathogens: a UVC light-equipped robot. UVC light is capable of disinfecting surfaces and neutralizing aerosolized virus particles, but it's dangerous for humans to be exposed. With this in mind, MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) teamed up with Ava Robotics to develop a robot that can travel through and disinfect spaces autonomously. The partners added a custom UVC light fixture designed by CSAIL to Ava Robotics' mobile robot base. They deployed the prototype at the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).