Robotics Revolutionizing School Sanitation

INTRODUCTION

The field of robotics has grown over the years significantly especially in the healthcare systems and the industry sectors. However, there is not much attention that has been given to the institutions such as colleges, universities, primary and high schools like health care and industries. This could be because there are a lot of challenges associated with the implementation of the robotics system in the healthcare sectors that were witnessed during the pandemic seasons. However, the current Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has shifted implementingand the government's attention, as they are trying to look for various ways in which they can protect the lives of students in schools. There is currently a growing demand for designing a robotics system that can clean and disinfects places such the hospitals and institutions alike. This will limit a person to person contact and also limit employing people from different parts of the country to come and help in doing very minor jobs such as cleaning in schools. According to a survey by (Ruan, Wu, & Xu, 2021) in the schools in the United Kingdom, it was found that about 25% of students contract the novel coronavirus in the country. That is why implementing and designing a robotics system that can do the work of disinfecting the school will limit/ the chances of COVID-19 from spreading in schools. Apart from COVID–19, there are bacterial infections that the robot will help do. Robotics applications could help in providing a sustainable healthcare environment in the school. This paper is going to propose a bacterial disinfection robotic system that can move in and out of rooms in an institution to disinfect and clean up all the rooms. The design proposed in this paper will be very small enough to allow it to fit in all the rooms in the institution. It will be small to allow it also to disinfect all the canners that are in any room. It will also have the ability to not only disinfect but also clean the entire room before students and workers resume school every day.

Background

The field of robotics is relatively new in the institutions to offer services, however (Rea & Ottaviano, 2018) predicts that the use of robots in various institutions will increase as it will help in lowering down the workload and also help in safeguarding students from catching up bacterial infections and also the spread of the novel coronavirus. Fraunhofer Institute introduced the first service robots in the year 1993 for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (Upadhyay et al., 2020). This kind of robot was programed to fully conduct services that were not connected to industrial manufacturing. The research is relying on this kind of achievement to be able to introduce another service robot that will assist the institution in cleaning and disinfection services automatically.

Problem statement

Even after the emergence of COVID-19 very little research has been deployed to help the institution limit student’s risks of getting COVID-19 in schools. Research has only been conducted to introduce robots that will assist in, test people, helping during surgeries in the hospitals, screening COVID-19. However, this paper focused on designing a service robot that will help in assisting educational institutions to carry out cleaning services and disinfection services automatically. Acceptance of service robots is a big difficulty in this industry. Robots are only welcomed if they can improve one's work by making it more efficient and enjoyable (Montes et al., 2021). However, there is still concern that robots would replace humans, resulting in job losses. To foster favourable views and acceptance of service robots, public engagement initiatives that educate and train healthcare personnel on how to use these robots would be advantageous.

Importance of the robots

Safe working environment

By moving supplies and linens in the school where disease exposure is a problem, service robots assist to keep staff and the students safe. Cleaning and disinfection robots can minimize the schools acquired infections while limiting pathogen exposure—and hundreds of schools and organizations are currently deploying them. Social robots can also assist with heavy liftings, such as moving beds, reducing the physical strain on staff workers and the students (Perminov et al., 2021).

Design research framework

The framework of this research involved the introduction and the analysis of, the market for the project, competitor analyses, and user research. The design will help in understanding why the paper decides to investigate this matter.

Market research

Rising sales of service robots are driving the global service robotics industry, which is estimated to reach USD 20.4 billion by 2020. The sales of service robots are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 23% between 2022 and 2027, reaching USD 71 billion by 2026 (Zemke et al., 2020).

Competitor analyses

The growing adoption of robots for innovative applications with high returns on investment, as well as increased funding for robot development, are the key forces driving the service robotics business. In addition, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic, there is a growing need to remove hospital-acquired diseases regularly, which has fuelled the need for the deployment of disinfection and sanitation robots (Ramalingam et al., 2021). The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a potentially fatal respiratory ailment, has now become a worldwide worry. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a substantial impact on the value chain of the service robotics business. The affected countries, which include the United States, China, and Japan, are anticipated to account for large chunks of the service robotics sector (Kumar et al., 2021. COVID-19 had a detrimental impact on several industries, including automotive, aerospace, and military, but they recovered by the end of 2020 and entered 2021 with a modest uptick in growth rate. COVID-19 has had an impact on the services industry, but a U-shaped comeback is expected, with the global economy improving steadily. The market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 23.3 per cent between 2021 and 2026 (Tavakoli, Carriere, & Torabi, 2020).

Concept Assessment and Requirements

The introduction of service robots in the health care sector and the industries is the main idea behind the introduction of this project. The report believes that the services can also be implemented in the institutions to help in managing the COVID -19 outbreaks in schools (Mikhailovskiy et al., 2021). Additionally, Google's latest technological research on worker robots is also a contributing factor towards the implementation of this project. Because use and recognition rates are also affected by age, the design of the aid robot is important. Knowledge of how to ensure intuitive use of the service robot (e.g., through simple interface design) as well as how to arrange the overall appearance of robots is essential. Questions such as "Should the help robot have distinct tones and sounds?" and "Should the support robot have human attributes?" do not appear to be answered at this time. Aside from design considerations, considerations on the incorporation of administrative robots into the present interaction scene are also essential (Tavakoli, Carriere, & Torabi, 2020). Administration robots necessitate unambiguously described and established operations since they struggle to react to rapid alterations in the job process. In comparison to the cycle of an assistance robot, a human connection is fairly adaptable: A logistician operating in a firm may pick where to position the things for transportation, he can make diversions and alterations to his schedule if there is an unexpected conveyance, and he can assist the beneficiaries in unloading the merchandise (Narang et al., 2021).

PDF system overview

When designing the framework, human dimensions as well as features that should imitate human behaviour and workouts were taken into account. As a result, even though it includes pieces that are just recently recognized, such as lightweight robot arms and hands, this device will have an unmistakable degree of humanoid attribution. These attributions will allow it to do cleaning work effectively as required by the institution. Later on, these components may be replaced with comparing components pushed by the human body. The robot structure is made up of a few useful modules just as the one shown in the figure 3 bellow, wheel-driven portable robot stage this is to allow it move freely from one room to another; fragmented middle; bi-manual automated framework with three-fingered graspers that will be used to grab the cleaning and disinfecting detergent; mobile robot head that will aid the robot to look around the room so that it can make sure that all the places in the room are cleaned; tangible obtaining framework; and control and correspondence module. The embracing framework structure, as illustrated in Figure 3, allows for fine framework mobility in a variety of interior environments. Human dimensions were not fully considered while determining robot elements, because the robot is supposed to be used in areas where people work, and the robot is expected to assist the institution with cleaning services only.

Design

The portable robot is a pre-programmed moving car with two driving, chip-controlled haggles assistance wheels that provide soundness and support during movement, allowing it to go in and out of the rooms. The stage is designed to accommodate a device with two compartments separated by a level plane. The lower level contains two 12 V 120 Ah batteries, as well as a 12–220 VAC charger, circuit breakers, and so on, while the upper level houses the device's control and correspondence system. To empty the actuators in the middle and achieve perfect mass conveyance, for example, to get the focal point of mass as low as possible, all electrical sheets have been placed within the bureau rather than in the head or middle of the robot (Narang et al., 20201). The structure is meant to provide security against toppling even in the presence of maximally expanded robot hands and a maximum payload of 5 kg for each arm.

Segmented Torso

The bottom and top halves is the part that forms the center of the robot. The upper section depicts the robot head and two six degrees of freedom (6 DOF) robot arms with fictitious hands. The lower section is a focal help column completed with a two-hub revolution drive with a slewing drive transmission, allowing twisting (change in rising) of the upper piece of the middle around the level pivot in the range of 30 +60 degrees, and turning in the range 180 +180 degrees. These increased degrees of possibility essentially broaden the robot's active job area reachability of its hands (Murphy et al., 2021).

Manual manipulation of the robot

The system will consist of a BI manipulation system that will cooperate six degrees of freedom (6DOF), and 5kgs play load arms that are used for industrial quality robots (Rai et al., 2021). Both the left and right arms will be equipped with figure Barrett type gripper arm manipulations combined with the ability to bend when cleaning and disinfecting corners and under the tables. The hands will contain the UR5 joints that will help the robot interact with cleaning detergents.

Robot head

The head of the robot will be incorporated with the Kinematic mechanism that contains the three degrees of freedom (3DOF) that is actuated by the DC electronic motors with driving transmissions. Additionally, two current grade cameras for robot vision will also be included. Thirdly the head will consist of two wide-band superior grade receivers with increased affectability. And finally, a discretionary visual profundity sensor mounted on the crown of the head will have excellent kinematic capabilities for pivoting around: upward, front looking, and sagittal. Because of the robot's optical and auditory abilities, the head can be rotated in the direction of the source of light and additionally solid (Sangeetha & Poornima, 2021). The robot will also furnish the necessary LED illumination to enable it to function in low-light environments.

Sensorial system

The robot's physical and information-gathering organization will be diverse. Its purpose is to observe the physical and the environment of the rooms. Sensors are embedded almost throughout the framework's mechanical design. The robot will be equipped with joint position sensors and speed sensors, as well as outer distance sensors, inertial sensors will include 3-hub whirligig and 3-hub accelerometer, and discretionary particular reason sensors (dirt and unclean surface) Joint encoders, force sensors in the arm and wrist joints, and power/force sensors in the hand graspers are installed in the generic robot hands (Fragapane et al., 2021). An aslant sensor is installed on the stage to detect a collision with surrounding goods.

Concept Development

A progressive suited will handle the control module structure that best matches the unique tasks that will be instructed on the robot. This implies that there is a regulator at the most elevated progressive level, which organizes all daily chores, information gathering, and correspondence traffic, and which has subjected specific low-level regulators, for example, versatile stage regulator, accountable for movement arranging, route, and way following, as well as a deterrent and crash evasion, and which considers various qualities of erosion between the haggles ground. The correspondence square will provide systems administration of the robot in LAN using Wi-Fi access, as well as connecting the robot to the Internet. It is also necessary to remotely control the robot using a mobile phone with an Android application, a conventional note pad, or a PC with a corresponding GUI remote program. This accepts a WI-FI problem area or GSM-GPRS modem on the robot, which adds the benefit of remote correspondence with allowed access and the capacity to screen framework borders or remote transmission of picture and sound (Fragapane et al., 2021). The control framework is mind-boggling and widely dispersed, as seen in Figure 4, which introduces the essential components of the portable aid robot framework. As a result, a separate control framework configuration is expected, which will be coupled with quick CAN transport engineering. This high-speed CAN transport architecture serves as the principal mode of transport for the whole adaptable aid robot control framework. Because of its speed and dependability, high velocity CAN transport engineering gives a legitimate capacity, all things considered, solid and time exact information exchange, as well as appropriate management of the entire framework by the framework's principle regulator and in a remote manner by TABLET PC oversight programming exceptionally recognized with the end goal of the distant oversight, ordering, and control of the mechanical framework and worldwide assignment settings (Fragapane et al., 2020). Figure 4 depicts the global square control scheme based on quick CAN transport engineering.

The whole control architecture will be based on high-speed CAN transport engineering restricted by the ADLE3800 PC PCIe104 processor board. This is a powerful PCIe 104 processor module that runs the ROS activity framework. It is in charge of all subsystems connected to the quick CAN transport engineering (Mahore & Mahore, 2021). Let us take a look at each of the streetcar regulators that rely on National Instruments single-board RIO designs. The following text will provide a detailed depiction of this subsystem. Machine vision configuration is a subsystem of robot global control design and is also connected with high velocity CAN transfer. This machine vision subsystem is dependent on an incredible realistic processor, which is in charge of image acquisition and handling, as well as a dynamic framework based on the results of the machine vision module control calculations (Rea & Ottaviano, 2018).

Detailed Design

The ADLE3800 PC PCIe104 processor module will simply control the performed sound framework. A nonexclusive discourse acknowledgement task is recognized together with a voice mix based on the receiver completed into the portable robot (Upadhyay et al., 2020). These two frameworks are integrated into the ROS activity framework, which is in charge of sound order recognition and robot-human speech communication during the task. The whole human-robot interface (HRI), including speech and image information translation, is carried out on the touch screen board placed to the robot's chest (Gibb et al., 2018). The acoustic, visual, and contact offices of the HRI may, therefore, be regulated and governed by the administrator. The completed touch screen board is used not only for HR therefore but also for the global control of the overall framework and its constituent modules. Another possibility for global control and administration of a mobile assistance robot is somewhat established using a cell phone and carried out remote GSM-GPRS correspondence integrated into the framework structure's control circle (Asadi et al.,2018). It is thus possible to construct remotely order settings and administration of the robot status, as well as continuous picture information transfer from the robot to the screen of a mobile phone. The trolley of the help robot is loaded with a massive number of sensors. This implies that the regulator itself needs to be supplied with a massive number of I/O ports to get and accumulate such a big amount of data (Rea et al., 2021). The regulator should have a legitimate architecture that allows all information to be adequate and timely acquired and available at any moment to different subsystems for appropriate supervision and control. Essentially, reliable block sensor recognition is crucial. As a result, the adaptable robot's trolley will be outfitted with both ultrasonic and infrared sensors capable of detecting obstructions in the mid-reach distance 80 cm. Regardless, 8 ultrasonic distance sensors and 8 infrared obstruction identifiers are installed on the trolley, with two of each placed to the vehicle's edge (Guan et al., 2020). By combining ultrasonic and infrared finders, the requisite precision and consistency are got for the structure to sense deterrents in a variety of interior settings.

Supervisory control

Wi-Fi communication will be used to enhance the controller assembly/system. This type of remote connection enables the transfer of commands, sensor information, sound signals (sound), and images to/from the robot. Checking should be possible via a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet. Two-way communication allows the tasks controller to peruse the situation with an aid robot and transmit sound and images from the robot to the cell phone and from the cell phone to the robot (Tsai et al., 2020). As a result, without the contribution of explicit commands on the screen, it is possible to send the robot the sound orders directly.

Conclusion

The main purpose of this research was to propose a design of a robotics system that can move in and out of rooms in the institution to disinfect and clean up all the rooms in the institution. The design proposed in this paper will be very small enough to allow it to fit/move around in all the rooms while doing cleaning and disinfection. The paper has also analyzed the market and the competitor analysis of the design, furthermore; the research has also provided a PDS system overview of the research, how it will be and how the robotic system will operate.

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