KT to debut disinfection robots in April

South Korean telecom carrier KT, having already launched several robots for hotels and restaurants, is now posed to debut new robots fighting virus infections, laying a basis for its foray into the service robot and rental services business.

During a media event held Wednesday, the company said it plans to sell or rent up to 4,000 disinfection robots from April until the end of this year, targeting hospitals, government buildings and welfare facilities.

Its autonomous robots, which come in two types by size, will be dedicated to sterilizing airborne bacteria and viruses by using air plasma. Also, their lamps that emit ultraviolet-C light – known to have the shortest wavelength but be most powerful for ultraviolet purification – will be used to disinfect floors. They will also be used to purify air and remove dust and toxic gas.

The robots were first introduced at the Mobile World Congress 2022 in Barcelona, Spain, and are produced by vendors including Bear Robotics. Their artificial intelligence software will operate on the 4G network infrastructure or above.

“KT aims to build a bridge between robot solution providers and those in need of the new robot service, and at the same time we are in pursuit of becoming a robot platform that tailors robots to customers’ needs and as a result enhances robots’ value,” Lee Sang-ho, senior vice president and head of AI robot business unit at KT, said in a press conference Wednesday.

KT’s service robots have played a role of hotel couriers, baristas, and restaurant servers, among others.