Case Study: Autonomous Mobile Robots Help Teradyne Clean Production Areas and Labs

Summary

If there’s one thing we can all agree on that the COVID-19 pandemic has done, it’s to raise awareness of cleanliness in public places. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are far ahead of most workplaces and public buildings in terms of cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting technologies. That said, organizations of all kinds are quickly catching up as people return to work and school and resume activities such as shopping, eating out, and using public transportation. These organizations are eager to get back to the “new normal” while keeping workers and customers safe.

One challenge is to make sure that all surfaces are disinfected regularly and completely, from every angle, and throughout multiple rooms and large areas, day after day. In public spaces such as building lobbies, offices, hotels, and airlines, aerosol disinfectants are commonly used. When dispensed manually, however, the effectiveness of the application is highly dependent on the individual worker, and requires personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep workers safe from chemicals.

Similar to other jobs that are dirty, dull, and dangerous for human workers (the 3Ds), and that require highly consistent and reliable outcomes, the “new normal” of disinfection is ripe for automation.

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are battery-operated mobile platforms with sophisticated software that allows them to navigate safely and efficiently through any indoor space. Flexible, configurable mobile robots can be mounted with a wide range of top modules to make a robot usable for multiple applications. AMRs are designed for integration, with an open hardware and software platform that allows third parties to innovate to create custom solutions for their specific needs or to create new products for a broader market. For typical manufacturing and logistics environments, top modules are often pallet lifters, racks, cabinets, conveyors, or specialized hooks to pull carts. Today, a number of innovative companies are mounting disinfecting units on AMRs for use in commercial environments of all kinds, including airports, hotels, fitness centers, supermarkets, and even prisons.

Some of these disinfecting robots are used to dispense aerosol chemicals quickly, safely, and reliably in environments that are primarily composed of hard surfaces. In other environments, however, common chemicals that are safe for hard surfaces can damage soft surfaces such as fabrics, paper, and carpets, as well as other exposed items in the room. To address these needs, a growing number of disinfecting robots are coming to market with UV light fixtures.

UVC light, which refers to the UV spectrum that is used for disinfecting, breaks down the DNA structure of bacteria and viruses. It has been known to be an effective disinfectant for years, and is used commercially in water treatment tanks, operating rooms, and labs. Because prolonged exposure isn’t safe for humans, the lights can only be used when rooms are vacant, making an autonomous robot an ideal solution. New studies, including from Boston University and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, show new opportunities for UVC light as an effective disinfecting resource for coronaviruses such as COVID-19. Even as research continues on far-UVC, a wavelength that may be safe for use around humans, autonomous robots ensure that all surfaces in the area are exposed, from all necessary angles.

Teradyne, a global producer of manufacturing automation technologies, is preparing for workers to return to offices and production facilities. Like many employers, Teradyne has put extensive protective measures in place to meet health guidelines, but the company needed a new approach to ensure regular disinfecting of all surfaces in some of its environments. Two of Teradyne’s US facilities—in Reading, MA (near Boston) and in San Jose, CA—include advanced engineering labs and specialized production environments that are filled with exposed, delicate electronics. While aerosol disinfectants are harmless for packaged and sealed electronics such as computers, the chemicals can cause corrosion on exposed circuit boards. Teradyne looked for disinfecting robots and was quickly able to find ones that met its needs.  

The Massachusetts facility is composed of three connected buildings on multiple floors for a total of approximately 61,000 square feet, while the San Jose facility is limited to one large room. The robots Teradyne is using are fast and efficient, fully disinfecting about 300 to 400 square feet (30 to 40 m²) in about 15 minutes. Teradyne is running pilot programs in its Massachusetts facility overnight, using one robot every other day, and investigating the addition of a second robot for daily cleanings. The smaller California facility can be disinfected daily or more often if needed, any time employees are out of the lab, such as during mid-day shift changes. Teradyne is now exploring options for its large production facility in the Philippines.

The robots Teradyne is testing include open hardware and software platforms, proven safety capabilities and top modules for aerosol spraying as well as UVC light. New options use UV light and ozone in an air circulating unit that can be used around people to disinfect the air. 

As a result, disinfecting robots are expected to benefit an even wider range of locations, from public transportation to global logistics warehouses whose retail customers want assurance that materials moving through these warehouses are safe for consumers. The goal is to create a safe work environment so businesses can reopen successfully and safely so people can get back to work. In the past, almost all disinfecting robots were used in healthcare environments, but that’s already changed. Today, healthcare is closer to 50 percent, with the rest coming from growth in other areas.

Fortunately, the flexibility of AMRs (such as the MiR200) enable customers to re-deploy the same robots to other intra-logistics-related applications if or when they are no longer needed for disinfection purposes. This gives companies more confidence in the long-term use of the robots.

Whether it’s based on disinfection to keep employees safe, or autonomous transport of materials to let employees focus on high-value activities, the “new normal” is often being enabled by robotics.