Robot development was supported by NGen, Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, to quickly develop a high-performing robotic solution in response to COVID-19
BURNABY, BC – Advanced Intelligent Systems (AIS), a leading custom robotics engineering firm that solves industry challenges with modular, autonomous robots, announced today it has successfully launched an ultraviolet light robot to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses in healthcare facilities and combat the spread of infectious diseases in public spaces. The development was made possible by a grant from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen).
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NGen rallied industry leaders from across the country to help build a domestic supply of critical equipment. Support for organizations like AIS enabled the rapid development of viable disinfecting solutions and demonstrates the diverse manufacturing and technology capabilities that exist here in Canada,” says Jayson Myers, CEO, NGen
“NGen’s support was instrumental: indeed, the future of our country’s economy relies on our capacity to be a world leader in developing and commercializing scientific and technological innovations. We must be innovators,” says Afshin Doust, CEO, AIS.
AIS received $975k in July 2020 from NGen, to develop the made- in-Canada mobile robot. The Grant represents 50 per cent of the total project cost which was $1.95M. The pandemic required AIS to work quickly, and using its modular approach to robotics, AIS was able to repurpose its agriculture-focused robot and software products to create Orion, an autonomous UV robot for hands-free cleaning and disinfection using ultraviolet light, in less than two months.
Orion eliminates harmful viruses and bacteria to reduce hospital-acquired infections and healthcare-associated infections in public spaces such as hotels, shopping malls and airports. The robot can map large-scale environments to navigate to interest points, and perform crucial disinfection tasks using ultraviolet light technology to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
Orion is currently being piloted at an international hotel chain with locations in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland. Soon to be deployed commercially, Orion will also help provide critical support to hospitals, senior care facilities and health care workers dealing with health, safety and resource issues during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are very excited to have been able to so quickly develop an alternative to manual cleaning. Our hands-free mobile robot destroys harmful bacteria and viruses, which is so critical now as there is great need for hands-free disinfection to ensure customer safety and confidence, and to manage operational budgets,” says Doust.
One of AIS’ advantages which allows the company to deploy its UV disinfection robot in numerous industries – is its modular design. AIS has a variety of modules that are interoperable and exchangeable, and enable greater flexibility for robotics consumers. This is especially key now that there are a number of industries that require a hands-free robotic solution for disinfection of patient rooms and public spaces, and to attract patrons back into hotel common areas and rooms.
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ABOUT ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS:
Advanced Intelligent Systems Inc. (AIS) is a private engineering firm specializing in autonomous mobile robotics to solve real industry problems.
Headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, AIS leads the Canadian market for creating customized and modular robotics solutions to automate business processes.
The AIS team has numerous intellectual properties and patents currently being applied to develop custom robotic solutions for various industries such as agriculture, health care, manufacturing, and warehousing.
AIS’ autonomous robots have the intelligence to perform repetitive or dangerous tasks with exceptional dexterity and precision.
Collectively, the AIS team has decades of experience in robotics engineering, management, and operations. https://www.ai-systems.ca
ABOUT NEXT GENERATION MANUFACTURING CANADA (NGen):
NGen is the industry-led not-for-profit organization that leads Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster.
Its mandate is to help build world-leading advanced manufacturing capabilities in Canada for the benefit of Canadians.
NGen strengthens collaboration among its membership of more than 3,300 manufacturers, technology companies, innovation centres, and researchers. It provides funding and business support to industry-led initiatives to develop, and scale transformative manufacturing solutions in Canada for commercialization in global markets.
NGen also works to attract young Canadians into careers in advanced manufacturing. Learn more at www.careersofthefuture.ca
For more information, please contact:
Debra Hadden | DEBRA HADDEN COMMUNICATIONS | 604.240.3196
