Alberto Van Zeller lets out a hint of optimism when he talks about combating SARS-CoV-2: “it’s a relatively easy virus to disable.” The phrase seems to contradict the pandemic logic of covid-19 in recent months, but it has a reason for being: the company Aura Light, which is managed by Van Zeller, has just introduced a robot on the Portuguese market that promises to eliminate 99.99% of bacteria, germs, or pathogenic elements using ultraviolet (UV) rays. “In the case of viruses, it cannot be said that they are eliminated. What happens is that UV breaks the DNA of viruses, leaving them inactive ”, explains Alberto Van Zeller. The robot goes by the name of ZenZoe and was manufactured in Spain by the companies Asti Mobile Robotics and Boos Technical Lighting. The most advanced version costs 64 thousand euros.
“It works on any surface, but of course the rougher it is, the more movements it will be necessary to make to eliminate pathogens. It demands that there is always a line of sight. Which means that it will not have any effect on the part of the wall that is behind a painting ”, adds the leader of Aura Light.
At 1.95 meters in height and 140 kilos in weight, the ZenZoe hardly goes unnoticed – but the automaton itself pays attention to the same extent. Whenever one of the omnidirectional sensors detects that someone has entered a room in the middle of a disinfection process, the robot temporarily deactivates the four lamps that emit UV. This is because ZenZoe emits type C UV, which are harmful to health.
Despite the danger of emissions, Alberto Van Zeller is convinced that the use of UV-C pays off: “as soon as disinfection ends, people can already enter, since there were no emissions of toxic substances.”
A robot in the stadium
After tests at the National Institute of Aerospace Technique and at the University Hospital of Burgos, in Spain, the robot made its first major media appearances at the El Madrigal Stadium, where Villarreal plays, in the neighboring football championship, to disinfect showers before the game, at half-time, and after the teams leave the premises.
In addition to stadiums, Alberto Van Zeller has already listed many other potential customers: hypermarkets, meat industries, business centers and offices, public transport companies, universities, hospitals and many other venues that are characterized by a large number of visits. “In some fabrics that do not have much quality, there is a risk that this type of disinfection will produce some discoloration over time. It is something that we warn in case we receive orders from a hotel, for example ”, underlines the leader of Aura Light.
Anyone familiar with robotic vacuum cleaners at home will recognize several similarities with the way ZenZoe works. The robot can be controlled remotely, but it also has its own intelligence for mapping each room. This mapping requires the presence of specialized technicians on a first visit to the spaces that will be subjected to the automaton’s disinfectant stain. After this first procedure is completed, the robot is able to move autonomously and without human intervention, without losing the ability to adapt rounds to changes that may occur in the following times (examples: chairs and tables out of place).
The automaton is able to roll at a maximum of 1.5 meters per second – which is a considerable speed, which allows any cleaning specialist to widen with the disinfection of a 25 meter room in eight minutes.
In any case, these forecasts are only a reference for less complex scenarios. “This solution is provided with an app that lets you know how many millijoules are needed per square centimeter to eliminate different types of microorganisms. If the app indicates that the UV exposure was higher than necessary to eliminate these microorganisms, then it becomes possible to speed up the disinfection process ”, says Alberto Van Zeller. “The idea is to reduce disinfection time as much as possible. Which means spending less time per area, and more disinfected areas ”, adds the manager.
In addition to clearing rooms and space, speed can be an important factor from an energy point of view: each robot has a battery for 2.5 hours of operation. Whoever wants to guarantee greater autonomy without interruptions of one hour for charging will have to buy extra batteries to make the change (and the charges) whenever necessary. The most advanced version includes a charging station where the robot moves whenever the battery is on the verge of depletion.
Alberto Van Zeller is aware that similar robots are already operating in China, but he is not afraid of the commercial debut in Portugal. “I don’t know any competitor”, he concludes, with a smile. The nearest times will tell you the commercial evolution of the segment.
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