Dosimetry Strategies for Non-Autonomous UV-C Robots

Authors

Keywords:

non-autonomous robot, antimicrobial resistance, dosimetric films, hospital infection control, UV-C disinfection

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the coverage and disinfection effectiveness of SIDUV-C, a non-autonomous UV-C robot operating at a wavelength of 254 nm and a power output of 3900 W, which made it the most powerful in its category. Experimental methods included the determination of UV irradiation doses, UV-Vis spectral analysis, and modeling of irradiance fields to estimate the system’s ability to deliver adequate doses of UV energy to target surfaces or airborne pathogens. Commercially available dosimetric films sensitive to UV-C radiation were employed to quantify doses across different spatial regions, and their accuracy was validated against UV spectroradiometry techniques and microbiological assays with methicillin-resistant Staphyloccoccus aureus (MRSA). The results demonstrated that both dosimetric films and spectroradiometer measurements consistently indicated the robot's rapid and effective disinfection performance across an unshaded area of 12.25 m2. The doses delivered were sufficient to neutralize a wide range of bacterial species commonly found in hospital environments across Latin America, including multidrug-resistant pathogens, thus underscoring the potential of UV-C disinfection robots as a critical tool in mitigating antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings.

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Author Biographies

Maikel Roberto Siqueira Gambetá-Leite, Universidade Católica de Pelotas

Maikel Roberto Siqueira Gambetá-Leite earned his Bachelor's degree in Physics from the Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2008, followed by a Master's degree in Computer Modeling from the same university in 2013. He is currently pursuing an M.Sc. degree at the Catholic University of Pelotas (UCPel), Pelotas, Brazil, with expected completion in 2024. His research interests include dosimetry, photonics, and computer modeling.

Rodrigo Araujo Real, Freedom Ve´ículos Elétricos

Rodrigo Araújo Real holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande, Brazil, in 2001, and a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2004. He is currently the Technology Manager at the entrepresise Freedom Electric Vehicles Ltd. He has experience in the areas of Parallel and Distributed Processing, focusing on pervasive computing, distributed processing, and process scheduling. He also has professional expertise in embedded systems, firmware, and hardware design and development for electric vehicles.

Chiara das Dores do Nascimento, Universidade Católica de Pelotas

Chiara das Dores do Nascimento received her Bachelor's degree in Physics from the State University of Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, Brazil, in 2008, her M.Sc. degree in Medical Physics from the Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, Brazil, in 2010, and her Ph.D. degree in Experimental Physics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2014. From 2014 to 2016, she served as a postdoctoral researcher at UFRGS, working in the Ion Implantation Laboratory at the Institute of Physics. She is currently an Assistant Professor III at the Catholic University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. Her research interests include photonics, thin films using organic and inorganic materials for photovoltaic device fabrication (solar cells), electrical characterization techniques of materials (Hall Effect, four-point probe method, and Van der Pauw method), X-ray material characterization techniques (XRD and XAS), Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), photoluminescence, microstructure analysis (SEM and TEM), and energy loss straggling of protons and alpha particles in high-dielectric constant oxides.

Everton Granemann Souza, Catholic University of Pelotas

Everton Granemann Souza earned his Bachelor's degree in Physics from the State University of Santa Catarina, Joinville, Brazil, in 2006, his M.Sc. degree in Physics from the Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil, in 2008, and his Ph.D. degree in Physics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2012. From 2012 to 2014, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at CERN, focusing on the commissioning of LINAC4 within the Beam Physics Department. He is currently an Assistant Professor III at the Catholic University of Pelotas (UCPel), where he also serves as the coordinator of the Inovare BioSim Lab - Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials. Since 2023, he has been a member of the Innovation and Technology Center, and since 2018, a member of the Research Ethics Committee, both at UCPel. His research and development activities include the creation of technologies utilizing UV radiation for the disinfection of environments and objects, ionizing radiation shielding, applied microbiology, thin film characterization, modeling of charged particle beams, nonlinear dynamics, and signal processing applied to time series and medical imaging.dical images.

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Published

2025-06-12

How to Cite

Siqueira Gambetá-Leite, M. R., Araujo Real, R., das Dores do Nascimento, C., & Granemann Souza, E. (2025). Dosimetry Strategies for Non-Autonomous UV-C Robots. IEEE Latin America Transactions, 23(7), 619–627. Retrieved from https://latamt.ieeer9.org/index.php/transactions/article/view/9461

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 7 (2025): Ordinary Issue

Section

Electronics