Forecasting the adoption of decontamination robots in the COVID era

Cleaning and disinfection robotics represents a significant advancement in the field of social robotics. These specialized robots, equipped with artificial intelligence, sensors, and autonomous capabilities, play a crucial role in efficient sanitization and reduction of human exposure to pathogens. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted their importance in disinfecting high-traffic areas. However, there is a need to comprehensively assess the efficacy and dominance of integrated technologies within these robots. This research aims to address this gap by conducting a comparative analysis of diverse technologies integrated into current cleaning and disinfection robots. Using a bibliometric approach and literature review, the study investigates the technological landscape and commercialization prospects and forecasts the technological development trajectory of these innovations. Based on this, insights can be gained on how the evolving capabilities of these robots can enable them to either interact with humans for certain types of decontamination assignments or to develop protocols for cases where robots have to operate separately from humans in order to protect them from environmental hazards. Three broad research questions drive this investigation: (1) How can existing decontamination robots be categorized and described in terms of their current capabilities? (2) How are the capabilities of healthcare robotics evolving in response to current challenges in infectious diseases, such as the recent pandemic? (3) What are the projected technology adoption trends regarding robotic decontamination? In our discussion below we also explore a number of sub-questions related to these broad research areas. The findings reveal a growth phase in the sanitizing and disinfectant robot technologies trajectory, which is projected to reach an inflection point in the mid-2020s. These technologies combat existing pandemics like COVID-19 and address future outbreaks. The implications of these technologies extend beyond their technical capabilities, touching upon critical social issues. While this research offers a preliminary forecast, future studies could delve deeper into the societal implications, evolving values, and roadmap developments using established frameworks.