Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is deploying autonomous robots to deep clean floors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The robots use ultraviolet lights that augment their traditional cleaning tools, a first for U.S. airports. Researchers believe UV-C rays, which have been used to sanitize hospital rooms for decades, can be applied in other high-traffic settings, like airports, with similar results.
PIT has teamed up with Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Robotics to deploy a pair of autonomous floor scrubbers — essentially self-driving robots that clean floors in an ultra-efficient manner.
The application of UV is part of a strategic airport-wide approach to cleaning as airport officials look to incorporate UV disinfecting technology in additional ways, including on handrails of escalators and moving walkways, elevator buttons and other high-touch areas,…
