After receiving the second order of 100 more robots from the European Commission in September, following the first order of 200 robots in November 2020, Odense, Denmark-based UVD Robots has entered a global partnership agreement with OCC Commercial Consulting to combat COVID-19 and high-risk pathogens commonly found in grocery, food service and retail environments.
The partnership enables OCC to deploy UVD Robots to autonomously disinfect store spaces, including shelves, aisles and checkout areas. The robots provide a comprehensive infection prevention using germicidal UV-C lighting equipment against viruses and bacteria on surfaces and the air, killing more than 99.99 percent of microorganisms including SARS-CoV 2 (coronaviruses) and E. Coli, providing a safe and secure environment for staff and customers.
The average consumer spends about 60 hours grocery shopping per year. Hours spent in an environment that may harbor different germ colonies, include shopping carts, refrigerator doors and produce. A study showed that grocery store carts have 361 times more bacteria than a bathroom doorknob – with 75 percent of the germs found on those carts considered harmful to humans.
Fridge doors can have as much as 1,235 times more bacteria than a cellphone, and one of the most common types of bacteria found on these doors is resistant to antibiotics.
“Disinfecting retail environments is the perfect job for UVD Robots as they can effortlessly navigate aisles after-hours,” said Claus Risager, CEO at Blue Ocean Robotics, the manufacturer of UVD Robots.
Initially, OCC Commercial Consulting will focus on deploying UVD Robots in the German markets but is planning to expand into rest of Europe.
“We are excited to provide UV disinfection robots with autonomous mobility to a market in great need,” said Salvatore Orto, founder of OCC Commercial Consulting, an agency with more than 30 years of in-depth market experience and knowledge focus on supplying the food and beverage sector with technology solutions. “Supermarkets must make their employees and customers feel confident that all that can be done to keep them safe and healthy is being done.”
Based on preset schedules and mapped routes, UVD Robots can decontaminate an estimated 700 square meters in about one hour, enabling rapid disinfection of typical retail layouts without requiring staff on site to administer it. Disinfecting supermarkets with UV-C lights is not a new concept, however, existing solutions including stationary disinfection systems, UV ceiling lights and air purifiers do not offer complete disinfection, reaching shadowed or remote areas.
The UVD Robot solves the challenges of shadowing and repositioning, which have previously hindered the comprehensive application of UV-C disinfection, while providing 24/7 access to real-time compliance and efficacy reports of the disinfection procedures.
Sold in more than 60 countries worldwide, UVD Robots is the world’s most popular autonomous disinfection robot. The robots were originally developed to fight hospital acquired infections (HAI’s) and are now deployed in educational campuses and facilities, the healthcare sector, airports, hotels, sports complexes, railways, shopping malls, food companies, cruise ships, pharmaceutical companies and office complexes. The global partnership agreement with OCC Commercial Consulting focuses specifically on the food and beverage retail sector.
“We look forward to partnering with OCC to help the retail sector quickly address COVID-19 contamination concerns while supporting long-term strategies for more effective infection prevention,” said Per Juul Nielsen, CEO of UVD Robots.
Blue Ocean Robotics develops, produces and sells autonomous mobile robots for professional use in the service industry. The portfolio of robots includes the brands UVD Robots; GoBe Robots – a telepresence robot for reducing travel time, costs and CO2 emissions; and PTR Robots – a safe patient transfer and rehabilitation robot for improving the health of caregivers and patients. The company was recently included on Fast Company’s Top 10 of “Most Innovative Robotics Companies 2021.”
