EYE OPENER
Corona
bot
LUOYANG , CHINA
The sound of footsteps
has been replaced by the
whirring of gears in China.
Technology supported the
country’s coronavirus
crisis, with robots
providing companionship
for the quarantined and
drones being used to
deliver food and medicine.
Out on the streets,
robots like this one are
spraying disinfectant to
kill microbes. “The
disinfectants common in
our households are
alcohols, detergents and
bleach, which work by
destroying the proteins
and lipids that bacteria
and viruses are made of,”
explains Dr Adam
Ostrowski, a molecular
microbiologist. “Many
industrial applications will
use disinfectants in gas
form, but given these
robots work outside, it’s
unlikely they’ll be spraying
gas. It wouldn’t be a
detergent: they’re too
slippery and may cause
people to slide and fall. I
suspect it’s some form of
alcohol or bleach, which
will remain in place for a
while then evaporate, to
keep people safe.”
EYE OPENER
REUTERS
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