Last week Sberbank, the Russian financial and tech behemoth, announced it created a disinfection robot “in the shortest time.” It is intended for use in any public place – from hospitals, to schools, to offices, to public transport.
This robot – which is an adapted version of a delivery robot – can disinfect a room of 20 sq. m. in just five minutes, or “more than 2,500 sq. meters over night,” claims the bank. Its high-powered UV lamps “destroys viruses efficiently on various surfaces.”
The engine is presented as being autonomous and safe: “Once you’ve ‘shown’ it a room, it will then be able to disinfect it independently, and when a person enters the room, the disinfection will be automatically stopped.”
A prototype is now being tested at the bank’s branches. Further on, the project might be scaled up with the robot potentially used outside the bank, stated the bank without providing details.
“The technological solution designed by our laboratory is relevant not only during the COVID-19 pandemic: it is a universal robot that will enjoy popularity in the long term, including during seasonal flu outbreaks and acute respiratory infections,” said Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of Sberbank’s Executive Board.
Another anti-covid robot was launched, almost simultaneously, by Promobot, a successful Russian robotics startup.
Over the past few weeks Sberbank announced other anti-covid initiatives in all directions, including these ones:
- The bank has made available for free an AI-powered online test, the “Sber Covid checker,” to “evaluate the possibility of being infected,” based on WHO symptom statistics and other data.
- An anti-crisis show called ‘Online Business’ was launched on YouTube, allowing entrepreneurs to share their expertise in fighting crisis and answer questions.
- A new remote service was introduced via Sberbank Business Online to help real estate developers operate amid the pandemic.
- The bank cut to 1% its acquiring services rate for enterprises selling “socially important” goods and services online.
On the e-commerce front, Sberbank provided a 6 billion ruble loan (approximately $80 million) to Ozon.ru – just days after the online retailer attracted $150 million from domestic and foreign investors.
This loan aims to help Ozon manage the surge in online orders triggered by the epidemic and implement its ambitious logistics development plans.
