Swiss Robots Use UV Light To Zap Viruses Aboard Passenger Planes (reuters.com) 66
A robot armed with virus-killing ultraviolet light is being tested on Swiss airplanes, yet another idea aiming to restore passenger confidence and spare the travel industry more pandemic pain. Reuters reports: UVeya, a Swiss start-up, is conducting the trials of the robots with Dubai-based airport services company Dnata inside Embraer jets from Helvetic Airways, a charter airline owned by Swiss billionaire Martin Ebner. Aircraft makers still must certify the devices and are studying the impact their UV light may have on interior upholstery, which could fade after many disinfections, UVeya co-founder Jodoc Elmiger said. Still, he's hopeful robot cleaners could reduce people's fear of flying, even as COVID-19 circulates.
Elmiger's team has built three prototypes so far, one of which he demonstrated inside a Helvetic jet at the Zurich Airport, where traffic plunged 75% last year. The robot's lights, mounted on a crucifix-shaped frame, cast everything in a soft-blue glow as it slowly moved up the Embraer's aisle. One robot can disinfect a single-aisled plane in 13 minutes, start to finish, though larger planes take longer. Dnata executives hope airplane makers will sign off on the robots -- Elmiger estimates they'll sell for $15,930 or so -- as governments require new measures to ensure air travelers don't get sick.
Elmiger's team has built three prototypes so far, one of which he demonstrated inside a Helvetic jet at the Zurich Airport, where traffic plunged 75% last year. The robot's lights, mounted on a crucifix-shaped frame, cast everything in a soft-blue glow as it slowly moved up the Embraer's aisle. One robot can disinfect a single-aisled plane in 13 minutes, start to finish, though larger planes take longer. Dnata executives hope airplane makers will sign off on the robots -- Elmiger estimates they'll sell for $15,930 or so -- as governments require new measures to ensure air travelers don't get sick.
Simpler answer (Score:3)
Why can't they remove every other seat for a while instead of cramming people in like sardines so the person behind is breathing down your neck?
It's more attractive to passengers (who doesn't want more leg room?) and would save fuel.
Re:Simpler answer (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't know, why don't you want to pay more than double for your airline ticket?
I mean presumably if you did then you wouldn't have the problem you're describing anyway since tiered ticketing services are a thing. Maybe you should actually vote with your wallet.
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If they're not filling the seats then what's the difference to them?
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Do not allow passengers without a vaccine ID (Score:1)
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Some people cannot take the vaccine for medical reasons, other people want to take it but for whatever reason its not available to them yet (many countries still have limited supply and are reserving vaccines for the elderly and medical workers etc).
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What proof of vaccination will you accept? A printed piece of paper? (Should it be stamped or notarized?) An online database?
The problem with using hard copies of paper is that it is prone to people cheating. Think of the people with "emotional support animals", or people doctor-shopping to get vaccination exemptions for their children.
The problem with an online database is that it is susceptible to scope creep: Today it shows whether you have been vaccinated, but maybe next year it turns into a social
I remember last summer (Score:3)
When the topic of UV lights was in the news.
On the one hand, the press was mocking Trump for suggesting that "beams of light" could kill the coronavirus.
On the other hand, some academic who wanted his name in the newspaper was expounding on how easy it would be to mass-produce UV lightbulbs that could just be put in offices and restaurants to sterilize the air and mitigate infection risk.
And give everyone cataracts.
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Re: I remember last summer (Score:2)
To be fair...it would make covid the least of their problems.
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On that topic, I still think the press just had a field day by excising Trumps attempt at humor before quoting him.
Like Trump or not, he lives for making stupid jokes. I doubt I could resist were I ever in his shoes.
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The problem with Trump's promotion of the idea was not so much the light itself but that it was supposed to be deployed up the ass.
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Re:I remember last summer (Score:5, Informative)
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As usual, XKCD has this covered - https://xkcd.com/1217/ [xkcd.com]
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UV damages some plastics and some fabrics. It depends on the wavelength too.
UV light is used to sanitize things, including things made out of plastic, quite widely. The main issue is that it takes some time to work so this robot would have to move quite slowly, and that it needs powerful direct illumination so won't cover surfaces that are in shadow.
It's not a terrible idea in principal, but the implementation may mean it's more about confidence that effectiveness. Really the cabin needs to be designed with
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Well, does the sanitizing need to be perfect? The places where the light doesn't reach is seldom somewhere people put their hands...
Also to get an infection, there needs to be a certain amount of viral mass present... so I'd say just reducing that mass should help.
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Still don't understand why UV use not widespread (Score:1)
In advance of the next virus to come along eventually, it seems like a really great idea to beef up things like this - there's no reason why every commercial flight could not have a full UV sweep between flights, and if they find far UV-C is safe for humans [discovermagazine.com] then why should all aircraft and store interior lighting include far UV-C? That could dramatically reduce any future pandemic, or far that matter even the flu in general.
It seems like if we are going to spend trillions on anything, finalizing that resea
Re: Still don't understand why UV use not widespre (Score:2)
Far UVC really needs to be treated as vaccines as far as safety goes, you can do some human testing ... but you will need to rely mostly on animal testing and extrapolation.
That said, I doubt they could cheaply manufacture far UVC light sources at the moment.
Expense doens't matter when factoring in efficacy (Score:1)
I doubt they could cheaply manufacture far UVC light sources at the moment.
I agree with that, it would be very expensive.
Bet expense does not matter, in a world where we are doing 3-4 trillion dollar stimulus packages, compared especially to the long term efficacy of really putting a lid on future pandemics.
At the very least, all international flights should have mandatory far UVC lighting.
First to make that (bad) joke (I don't even like) (Score:2)
When your go to market timing is too slow (Score:2)
Most people I know are well past the 'surface contact as a transmission vector' Unless the robots are also picking up the peanuts wrappers and crumbs off the seat and floor...thanks but no thanks, early-2020 wants it's meme back.
Life imitates art, what could possibly go wrong? (Score:3)
https://www.theregister.com/20... [theregister.com]
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BOFH is publishing again? Where have I been?
Thanks for destroying my productivity for the rest of the day.
Could UV lights just be installed permanently? (Score:3)
Could the necessary UV lights just be installed throughout the cabin interior permanently? This would allow simultaneous disinfecting of the whole plane interior and it seems that mass produced UV lights shouldn't be very expensive.
Obviously safeguards would be needed. Such safeguards may include such things as making it100% impossible for the system to be turned on if the landing gear isn't bearing weight, visible emergency shutoffs that mechanically disconnect the power to the lights, alarms that come on in advance of the lights actually coming on, and motion sensors that turn the whole system off if motion is detected within the cabin.
Lugging around robots that slowly move up/down the aisle seems labor intensive and time consuming. Turnaround time is critical to airlines.
Why travel ? (Score:3)
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They like to go outside unlike us. :P
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Thats utter bullshit, most international travel is to places that are hardly showing the local culture. Do i really need to show you the tourist resorts where people sit in banana lounges and eat or drink themselves silly.
Also since holiday periods are short, travel by definition eats into time they could be enjoying the outdoors.
> I've traveled many places that turned out to be completely different from what I expected.
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yeh buying plastic crap made in china, and tshirts is so cultural.
> Sure if you never leave the tourist resort you don't see any of that, but that isn't how I and many people travel. Some things are difficult to capture if you are not there.
THeres nothing cultural about a resort, its the definition of stupidity, flying half away across the world for that fake shit. My point is save the environment and stay
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Firstly yes those sound good and great places. But you are conflating most with the exceptional. Most tourists dont go to worthwhlie cultural places, they go to crap places to eat and drink.
Secondly i think its a far b
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I think its far more intelligent to live in a place you can enjoy everyday rather than wait and hope for your once a year holiday.
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what is wrong with people they want or think they need to travel so much ?
What's wrong with people that they don't want to explore the truly amazing world that is on offer?
Look if your knowledge of China extends to going to Chinatown in your local city, I highly suggest next holiday jump on a plane to China and broaden your horizons. Then you may understand why people like to travel.
Here's some hints for you:
Like history?: Travel to Europe and take your pick.
Like skiing?: French or Austrian Alps, I know someone who lives near Whistler and yet prefers skiing in Europe.
Like mountai
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Hell, travelling in the US is an experience as well - Americans are to be so lucky that there is such diversity in one single country. Big city metropolis like New York City, to the rugged ranches of places like Texas, to the charms of the south, to the outdoorsy west coast from the pacific northwest to the surfer lifestyle of the California coast. And add Alaska and Hawaii.
And the people are all so different in all those locations - accents, behaviors, activities, etc.
And this is just the US itself. Too af
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you dont need to travel to a new country to see diversity. Most places have plenty locally. Just riding a bike is a v different experience when compared to driving around.
Lets be fair most people are very unoriginal, watching a ttravel show on tv or reading a travel article in the paper is a good example of this. All they tell and show you is the bed, i mean who fucking cares about a
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I wouldnt travel one hour for any beef, let alone 5 or 10 hours. I can do that at home.
> Like relaxing in the sun: Greek islands.
WHy would anyone travel half way across the world to visit the greek islands just for the sun ? i can do that at home.
> Like mountain climing?: Go to the Dolamites or the Himalayas. No need to climb Mt Everest, there's plenty of other things to
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I can do that at home. I can do that at home. I can do that at home.
So where do you live with amazing cuisine, culture, mountains, skiing, walks and sunshine?
You've never left your own country, have you? Heck, you've probably never been to another state. That's not something to brag about.
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My uncle knows a woman who lives in New York, she's around 50 years old and has never stepped off Manhattan Island. She's utterly unable to imagine any reason to want to go anywhere else. That kind of myopic outlook is utterly incomprehensible to me, the same as the rednecks that I grew up with who are not stupid people but who deliberately prefer to remain ignorant on any number of subjects.
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In my own home town. I dont need to travel because Australia is already the greatest country on earth. I m not stupid living in a cesspool city, im satisfied with enjoying my local environment just like my dog. I dont need to travel hours just to enjoy a resort coffee and sit and eat nd shit.
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Are all the best jobs available in your (non-city) hometown? Is there a prestigious college there? I take it you've never lived anywhere else?
You must be extraordinarily unambitious.
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No, but i dont care. My family and myself enjoying the good life, and not wasting time in the big smoke is far more important.
I do quite well, but thats not my top priority. I have a good well paying job but even if i worked for min wage it would matter, because im not a slave of money or wealth. I put priority on spending quality time, an address or a title at a job is irrelevant.
> Is there a prestigious college there?
There is one
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WHy would anyone travel half way across the world to visit the greek islands just for the sun ? i can do that at home.
If you ever laid back on a greek island you'd know the answer to that. You seem to be under the impression that each of the places only offer the single thing I listed. No mate, it's just a recommendation for that kind of holiday.
Absolutely none of what I just listed you can get at home, except maybe beef. You'd know that if you'd explore the world a bit.
The very definition of stupidity.
Nope. Yours is simply the very definition of ignorance.
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You are missing the spirit of my point. Each place is already wonderful and its far better and easier to spend time locally. on a regular basis than a once a year trip to Greece for minimal difference.
>> The very definition of stupidity.
> Nope. Yours is simply t
need to make them clean seats as well (Score:2)
Wrong problem (Score:2)
The problem for me isn't surfaces it's all the other humans. Get rid of them and I'm in.
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The problem for me isn't surfaces it's all the other humans. Get rid of them and I'm in.
Your private jet, awaits your credit card authorization...
Trump has invented a cure (Score:2)
Donald J. Trump, MD, Ph.D., released a statement asking why not wear a suit with UV lights on the inside to sterilize the body of any viruses? And how about attaching a battery to a UV bulb and swallowing it as an added measure?
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Donald J. Trump, MD, Ph.D., released a statement asking why not wear a suit with UV lights on the inside to sterilize the body of any viruses? And how about attaching a battery to a UV bulb and swallowing it as an added measure?
10 years from now do you think we'll have found a cure for TDS, or will we still be dealing with hypocritical humans pointing fingers at the past as THE excuse for current leaders pathetic failings and incompetency?
13 minutes? Three hours? (Score:2)
Of course being unable to recall the source, various places (such as grocery stores) tried or did or looked into this back early last year.
Those places were laughed at for using an ineffective means of sanitation, as it would take three hours to perform disinfection this way. So the airline here wants to run a robot up an isle to "sanitize" a whole plane in 13 minutes?? If only grocery stores could sanitize once an hour! Think of the sanity!
Seriously, the whole plane would probably get more UV light exposur
How precise? (Score:2)
All for disinfecting seats and it gives me the creepy crawlies to think they haven't until now. I mean I expected they used antibacterial coating on fabrics and released ozone inside the cabin after the flight or something. TLDR but the design in the summary mentions a crosspiece. If they don't actually mount it on a waveguide that can go into the seams and even the safety belts and elsewhere I really doubt this will catch everything. Though perhaps it will catch virus from dried droplets that hit seat head
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I expected they used antibacterial coating on fabrics and released ozone inside the cabin after the flight
Don't be silly, airlines are about making money, not keeping passengers safe. As long as it doesn't run up their insurance rates they're not doing anything of the sort. This is solely an attempt to bring in more customers, not actually about protecting their customers or staff.
I really doubt this will catch everything
It's not supposed to, it's designed to kill the **majority** of viruses on the **main** areas where customers touch. No manufacturer would claim otherwise. Since you're not going to get infected ingesting one virus, but you probab
don't touch (Score:2)
Don't touch anything that might have been in a shadow.
Useless (Score:2)
Just security theater like the rest of them.