ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A patent-pending robot has been developed in the US to sanitise and disinfect hotel surfaces.

The pocket-sized CleanseBot from Ventur Studio will run for four hours before requiring a charge. It is equipped with four UV-C lamps and its manufacturers say it is capable of killing 99.99 per cent of germs, bacteria and dust mites.

The device was developed after various studies revealed the extent to which hotel rooms may be contaminated by germs. One study carried out at the University of Houston found that the main light switch of hotel rooms harbour an average of 112.7 colony-forming units of bacteria per cubic centimetre.

Other studies revealed that the hotel coffee maker, TV remote, telephone, bedding and hairdryer were also potentially contaminated with pathogens.

The CleanseBot incorporates 18 smart AI sensors and will autonomously sanitise and disinfect sheets and blankets when set down in a bed. It can be programmed to run for either 30 or 60 minutes and will work continuously without falling off the edge or becoming tangled up in the bedclothes.

And when in the hand-held mode, the device can also be used for cleaning smaller objects such as alarm clocks, telephones and TV remotes.

The CleanseBot was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and the first batch of robots are expected to hit the market in April 2019.