Why OhmniClean? Features and Benefits of the Premier UV-C Disinfection Robot

Businesses have always been concerned about the cleanliness of their brick-and-mortar locations. Despite this, many relied on standard cleaners for disinfecting and general cleansing purposes. After the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it became evident that these tactics are simply not enough to keep the public safe.

This is particularly true in settings where there is an influx of people gathering in close spaces or touching the same surfaces. This is because cleaning and disinfecting must be done thoroughly and frequently. Missing a small area can render the entire process useless–and it is bound to happen, simply as a mere human oversight. Not to mention, it takes immense manpower and time to disinfect each space.

OhmniClean™ aims to eliminate the risk of bacterial and viral transmission by offering hospital-grade disinfection—without the need for harsh chemicals or hours of labour, and without the risk of human error. Instead, the fully autonomous, mobile robot disinfects using the power of UV-C light. 

While ultra-violet light has been used as a disinfectant for centuries, UV-C is the most powerful and effective for this purpose. Essentially, the wavelengths emitted from the UV light robot attack the virus and destroy its DNA. This limits reproduction and eradicates the virus. UV-C disinfection has been proven to reduce overall bacterial counts on high-touch surfaces.

Furthermore, research shows that the COVID-19 virus is highly vulnerable to this form of UV light and can be eradicated using OhmniClean’s UV light robot disinfection system. This ensures a safer, cleaner environment for users, their staff and visitors to their locations. While UV light disinfection is in high demand in specific industries, OhmniClean’s use is not limited to a particular industry.

Benefits of OhmniClean across the Board

Across industries, OhmniClean creates a safer and cleaner environment than manual cleaning or even other automated disinfection solutions. In healthcare, OhmniClean helps mitigate the high cost of HAIs (hospital-acquired infections) and improves disinfection efficacy while keeping patients and staff away from harsh chemicals. In hospitality, the robot saves capital costs as each system can service multiple facilities.

OhmniClean’s light weight and manoeuvrability reduce the risk of user injury while also allowing it to clean even the smallest of spaces. School administrators will enjoy OhmniClean’s ease of use. Classrooms can be mapped and disinfected in less than 30 minutes, thereby saving on labour costs. Commercial cleaners will benefit from a reduction in capital costs because fewer systems will be needed given OhmniClean’s short turn-around time. Below are additional benefits you can expect from OhmniClean regardless of industry. 

Hospital-grade disinfection

OhmniClean provides reliable and thorough disinfection. Based on independent antimicrobial efficacy testing, the UV-C disinfection of OhmniClean can eliminate at, or over, 99.999% of tested microorganisms. Compare this efficacy rate to manual cleaning and disinfection and you will find that manual methods often do not eliminate important pathogens such as C. diffcile and MRSA. According to Becker’s Healthcare, “of 1,917 patient rooms cleaned using standard processes and detergent, nearly 25 percent still contained strains of MRSA, according to a 2014 study in BMJ Journals. This finding suggests hospitals cannot rely on manual cleaning alone to fully eradicate pathogens and deter HAIs.”  

Furthermore, microbiological studies indicate that conventional cleaning and disinfection without programs of targeted improvement rarely eradicate pathogens from surfaces. For example, MRSA was identified on 66% of surfaces in patient rooms following terminal cleaning in one study and C. difficile spores persisted despite bleach disinfection in another.

Full autonomy reduces errors and labour costs

OhmniClean runs autonomously, navigating itself in complex environments. Our autonomous technology bypasses a key limitation of manual cleaning — reliance on a human operator to correctly select and formulate an appropriate cleaning agent and to distribute it to the target surfaces for the necessary contact time. An assessment of conventional cleaning in 36 acute hospitals revealed that <50% of high-risk objects in hospital rooms were cleaned at patient discharge. With autonomy, a robot can clean a room uniformly and thoroughly every time. 

The absence of a human operator also leads to lower labour costs. OhmniClean, for example, is capable of disinfecting a 3000 sq. ft space in less than 15 minutes (calculated for a log3 reduction of SARS-CoV-2). Compare this to other automated systems, when disinfecting a 500-1500 sq. ft. space, an HPV (hydrogen peroxide vapour) system has about a 1.5 hour cycle time and an aHP (aerosolized hydrogen peroxide) system has about a 2 hour cycle time.

A fully autonomous system with a short cycle time makes it possible for one person to manage a small fleet of disinfection robots, instead of a human crew, turning over several rooms at a time in a quick and efficient manner.

Instant-swap battery technology for unlimited uptime

OhmniClean was designed with a swappable battery that minimizes downtime. Experience the full utility of a mobile UV-C disinfection solution and disinfect with 100% uptime by simply swapping out the drained battery for a fully charged one. 

Why OhmniClean is Superior to Manual UV-C Disinfection Solutions

If you’re considering manual UV-C disinfection alongside autonomous solutions, there are a number of key reasons why you’ll want to purchase an autonomous system. While the purchase cost may be higher, autonomous units are worth the cost based on more consistent disinfection outcomes and lower risk. Handheld units are labour-intensive, prone to human error, dangerous, and require that the cleaner wear a protective suit. Static units also require more labour since it’s very important that the units be perfectly placed in the room for thorough disinfection. Here are some other reasons autonomous solutions prevail: 

OhmniClean is proven to be effective

With the longstanding use of UV for disinfection, there is a plethora of information regarding dosages necessary to inactivate different microorganisms. Bacteria are generally easier to inactivate than viruses, with fungi and spores being even harder to inactivate with UV. 

The UV dose required for inactivation is the product of UV intensity [I] (expressed as energy per unit surface area) and exposure time [T]. Therefore: DOSE = I x T

This dose is commonly expressed as millijoule per square centimetre (mJ/cm2).

The reduction of micro-organisms is classified using a logarithmic scale. A single log reduction is a 90% reduction of organisms. A Log2 reduction is a 99% reduction of organisms, followed by a Log3 reduction (99.9%), etc. For example, independent testing shows that OhmniClean™ 254nm UV-C solution rapidly eliminates pathogens like MRSA, VRE, P. aeruginosa, E. coli and SARS-COV-2 with an efficacy of 99.999%.

Get closer to target surfaces

As OhmniClean drives autonomously through a room, its UV-C lamps can get closer to surfaces than static devices, delivering stronger UV-C exposure. Compared to manual UV-C solutions, OhmniClean provides an optimal dose distribution so that all surface areas are equally treated. 

The degree of inactivation by ultraviolet radiation follows the Inverse Square Rule which holds that a surface that is 2x as far from the light source requires 4x the exposure to have the same effect. A surface 3x farther away requires 9X exposure.

Unlike static solutions, OhmniClean is able to get into close proximity of target surfaces, and can deliver this high >1.5mW/cm^2 irradiance for all target surfaces in a space. By moving close to target surfaces, OhmniClean does not lose strength of irradiance based on the Inverse Square Law.. For example, a study has measured a Log3 reduction of SARS-CoV-2 to take place at 3.7mJ/cm^2. OhmniClean can deliver the required dose for log3 reduction as it simply moves past any area.

Full autonomy systems such as OhmniClean eliminate the risk of shadowing. Shadowing occurs because light cannot penetrate a solid object. So if the target area is not in the direct line of sight of the UV light, it cannot be disinfected. Static UV-C systems must cope with shadowing but autonomous systems easily surpass this issue due to the robot’s ability to navigate through any space. 

Minimise manual intervention per disinfection cycle and decrease turnover time

OhmniClean eliminates the need for manual repositioning of the UV-C Disinfection device within a room, in particular, bigger operating rooms. Simply place OhmniClean into any space and it will autonomously move around according to a pre-defined route. 

Swappable Batteries

Did we mention swappable batteries? OhmniClean’s battery can be swapped quickly with the fully-charged replacement at any time. The result is 100% uptime, no downtime. In addition, because OhmniClean is battery-powered there is no messy power cord to manage nor the need to constantly identify nearby power outlets that are required to power handheld or static units.

Why is OhmniClean Superior to Other Autonomous UV-C Units

Setup, deploy, and use with ease

OhmniClean’s user-centric design is intuitive for anyone independent of their expertise and requires little to no upfront training which saves on labour costs. OhmniClean requires less than 5 minutes to map a 1000 sq. ft space. Compare this to other autonomous robots that require hours of labour and/or distributor support for set up and installation including installing markers, identifying locations, testing and verifying sensors, identifying disinfection points, route planning, map optimisation, and extensive training.

Slim profile for maximum manoeuvrability

OhmniClean features a slim profile that easily allows it to access areas other UV robots cannot, such as bathroom stalls, small patient clinic rooms, and hotel rooms. 

Access to data insights and reporting

After each session, immediately view reports and audit logs to ensure the safe and thorough disinfection of your spaces. Disinfection reports covering the most important cleaning data will be sent automatically to relevant stakeholders such as managers, customers, and/or regulators, providing added assurance that manual systems cannot provide.

Swappable modules for easy maintenance

OhmniClean was designed with modularity in mind, which means its modules are fully swappable for fast and easy maintenance with stock replaceable parts. The modules also allow for fast and easy transportation from one cleaning location to the next. They also reduce maintenance cost and minimise downtime. For example, if the UV light portion of the robot needs to be replaced, it can be detached from the base of the robot. The same is true of the batteries. 

Compared to OhmniClean, other disinfecting robots are large and difficult to move from one location to the next. In the hospitality industry, the need for easy transportation is *immense, as there are many areas that require disinfection, whether hotel lobbies, guest rooms or dining areas. OhmniClean’s UV light steriliser is designed to manoeuvre efficiently throughout a multitude of areas.

For more information on OhmniClean, click here.

About Robots4Good

A leading provider of robots as a service, Robots4Good is the exclusive supplier of OhmniLabs robots and services in Australia and New Zealand for business, manufacturing, schools, hospitals, disability and aged care settings.