Singapore mall operator banks on autonomous robots for coronavirus disinfection

The proprietary made-in-Singapore robotics technology will be put to use for the first time in May 2020.

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) will soon be used in some Singapore shopping malls to disinfect premises with ultraviolet light.

Designed, developed and manufactured by Singaporean robotics and automation firm PBA Group using proprietary technology, the AMRs are built with an ultraviolet-C light module attached, and this module’s emissions of powerful UV-C rays can be used to eradicate viruses.

The robots, christened “Sunburst UV Bots”, automate the disinfecting process, and cut down on manpower resources needed. In operation, the AMRs employ data from cameras, built-in sensors and software, to navigate and adapt to changes in their environment, as well as map out and identify the most efficient routes in the building.

This initiative is a collaboration between Frasers Property and PBA Group as part of a series of measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. The mall operator will be the first to adopt this made-in-Singapore technology, starting with Northpoint City in May and progressively rolled out at the group’s 13 other malls in Singapore.

Said Low Chee Wah, CEO, Frasers Property Retail: “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, it is critical for us to ensure the ongoing health and safety of our staff, tenants and shoppers. The deployment of the AMRs at our malls will enable us to step up our efforts to protect the communities we operate in and relieve the manpower resources on labour-intensive cleaning tasks. This forms part of our overall strategy to tap on technology and automation to increase our operational efficiency.”

“Combining our existing technologies in AMRs together with disinfecting technologies to assist in maintaining safe spaces for the public … we are proud to be working with Frasers Property, and this will help us to achieve our goals in combating the virus by rolling out the Sunburst UV Bots to shopping malls first, before moving into other sectors island-wide,” said Derrick Yap, CEO of PBA.