The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation in various sectors across the globe. In the news article “The Robot That’s Keeping Facilities Clean During Covid-19,” Gaskell (2020) explores how organizations in different sectors are leveraging robots to disinfect their facilities. This article focuses on one robot developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to keep spaces clean. These robots have served prominently as an effective solution to combating the transmission of the COVID-19 disease in many work environments, including healthcare facilities, supermarkets, banks, government offices, factories, airports, and schools.
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Robots provide the most effective mechanism for preventing the spread of any droplets containing the virus compared to other available options such as chemical and hand cleaning. For example, although chemical cleaning solutions disinfect surfaces effectively, they are usually labor-intensive and time-consuming because they have to be applied repeatedly to ensure spaces are sterile, especially in large premises (Gaskell, 2020). Unlike conventional alternatives, such as chemical cleaning, mobile robots can operate without supervision and do not place employees and other people within the facility at risk of contracting the virus. Therefore, mobile robots provide a more robust and effective solution to fight the crisis.
Mobile robots have a significant impact on business operations and processes. It is imperative to note that governments imposed stringent measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19, which paralyzed almost every activity in many organizations.
As a result, business enterprises were required to adopt new working styles to maintain their operations (Kodama, 2020). In this respect, automated disinfection of work environments promotes business continuity across the broad spectrum of public spaces highlighted above. In addition to complying with government regulations, keeping facilities clean, and protecting employees, customers, and other individuals against the risk of getting the virus, they also ensure business activities continue uninterrupted. Therefore, deploying agile management information solutions, such as robots, can enable business enterprises to face challenges with a spirit of innovation.
References
Gaskell, A. (2020). The robot that’s keeping facilities clean during covid-19. Forbes. Web.
Kodama, M. (2020). Digitally transforming work styles in an era of infectious disease. International Journal of Information Management, 55, 1−6. Web.