Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) has become the first airport in the United States to deploy autonomous robotic cleaners equipped with ultraviolet (UV) lights that augment their traditional cleaning tools.

PIT and Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Robotics have partnered to deploy a pair of autonomous floor scrubbers that clean floors in an ultra-efficient manner.

According to Katherine Karolick, senior vice president of Information Technology for Pittsburgh International Airport, using UV is part of a strategic airport-wide approach to cleaning as airport officials look to incorporate UV disinfecting technology in other ways such as on handrails of escalators and moving walkways, elevator buttons and other high-touch areas.

“Passengers don’t just want to see a clean airport — they want to know it’s clean and they want to know it’s safe,” Karolick says. “Ultraviolet robots have been used in hospitals as a way to disinfect and kill microorganisms, so it is definitely something that makes sense for an airport.”

The scrubbers themselves are modified versions of machines built by Nilfisk, a Danish firm. Carnegie Robotics designed and manufactured the artificial intelligence and robotic systems for the machines, which allows them to map an area and then clean it without human help.

Carnegie Robotics Chief Financial Officer Daniel Beaven says that it was an easy choice to partner with the airport to test and refine the systems.

“An airport, as a particular application space, is very representative of a lot of public spaces: high traffic, big open areas, reflective surfaces, a lot of safety concerns. It’s a great challenge for us,” Beaven says.

“Our No. 1 priority in this testing, however, is to understand how effective the addition of UVC is as a disinfectant in combination with Nilfisk’s scrubber.”

The scrubbers scour the floor surface with 88 pounds per square inch of water pressure. For a deeper clean, chemical disinfectant can be added to the process. The UV rays then pass over, which creates three different levels of cleaning for the surface.

After the UV scrubber passes over the floor surface, researchers will examine it to determine if any microorganisms remain.

According to PIT, the autonomous scrubbers are the only such third-party safety-certified machines in the world. The certification process was approved by the American National Standards Institute that ensures safe operation in public spaces.

A worker drives the machine around the outside edge of an area to instruct the robot, and the onboard computer saves it to memory. Back at the starting point, the robot is sent on its way with the press of a button, and it automatically cleans the entire area. Obstacles and people are detected by stereo cameras mounted on the front of the scrubbers. If the robot's path is impeded, it will immediately stop.

Once the scrubber is going, workers only need to change the water supply after about two and a half hours, and recharge the battery after about six hours. The workers can then focus on other tasks.

According to PIT, its partnership with Carnegie Robotics is the first step of an airport-wide strategy to enhance the health and safety of the traveling public by deploying technology solutions and multi-layered cleaning processes. The UV technology is designed to kill microbes in high-traffic areas, which increases cleanliness and helps to restore confidence in traveling, the airport says.

“Pittsburgh is a center for robotics and artificial intelligence,” Karolick syas. “Any time we can tap into the talent of the region, it’s a win for us.”