Q&A with Keenon Robotics on the design of disinfection robots
Q&A with Keenon Robotics on the design of disinfection robots
[R M A I T Question] For how long has Keenon Robotics been working on developing a disinfection robot?
[Keenon Robotics Answer] We’ve been working on it since last year (Q3 of 2019), as we’ve seen the demands of robots in medical industries. It takes us around five months to conclude the production.
[Question] What were your biggest challenges during development?
[Answer] The robots are based on our current system and navigation technology. Therefore the development is not so challenging for us as it is not a whole new product design.
[Question] How does your spraying mechanism work in the robots?
[Answer] The chemical spray can reach up to 5 radii and can also disinfect the robot itself. It can continuously spray for 8 hours and load 15 Litters of disinfectant liquids.
[Question] How autonomous is Keenon’s disinfection robot?
[Answer] It has automatic charging, and the route can be set regularly. Therefore you can set a default disinfection routing in the robots and don’t have to spend extra time to operate them.
[Question] What sort of feedback did Keenon receive from hospitals during implementation and testing?
[Answer] The hospitals’ feedbacks are positive; the robots’ efficiency in killing viruses and bacterias is 99.9%. The hospitals are quite satisfied with it. We will also release the testing results, the English version, in July 2020.
[Question] Are the disinfection robots available to ship out of China? Are you taking orders?
[Answer] Yes, of course. We already received 30+ orders from overseas markets merely in these weeks.
[Question] Will your system is provided in a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) or leasing model?
[Answer] For overseas markets, we only do sales models. Domestically we provide both leasing and buying options. Our international partners might take care of the R.a.a.S process.
[Question] How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your rollout and demand? How has it affected your workforce and supply chain?
[Answer] We lost most of our hospitality clients in the beginning. However, we started to have lots of hospitals and eldercare centers, contacting us for using our robots. Our delivery robots and disinfection robots are working in 150+ hospitals and 500+ restaurants to fight against COVID-19.
For the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic, our whole manufacturing process is in our factory, and the delivery robots are massed produced, which means we are still able to supply robots with the stocks and start our product sooner than other companies.
[Question] There has been a sharp increase in interest in disinfection robots because of the novel coronavirus — how do you view the competitive landscape?
[Answer] I will say it is something people want as my networks on LinkedIn show great interest in our disinfection robots.
It also depends hugely on the clients’ budget, as disinfection robots have different qualities, and the price range is wide.
As far as I know, our robot is relatively competitive in the market as no robots are doing double disinfection (UVD + Chemical Spray) as our robots do so far.
[Question] What do you think will happen in healthcare robotics beyond this current crisis?
[Answer] I will say it reveals the staff shortage in the industry, and it helps people to start considering the benefits robots can bring into the industry.
[Question] How is the rest of your product portfolio?
[Answer] Our main hits are delivery and disinfection robots. As we have partners in 20+ countries, some of their clients have different cultures and needs. Therefore we have the whole product range targeted at the hospitality and medical industry.
