The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the critical importance of thorough disinfection, particularly within hospital environments. However, traditional manual disinfection methods have inherent limitations, including labor shortages due to physical fatigue and risk of exposure to pathogens, inconsistent human performance, and difficulty in reaching obscured or hard-to-reach areas.

To address these challenges, a team of researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has developed an “Intelligent Autonomous Wiping and UV-C Disinfection Robot” that can automate hospital disinfection processes. This innovative robot is capable of navigating through hospital environments and performing disinfection tasks with precision and consistency.

The key feature of this robot is its dual disinfection system, which combines physical wiping and UV-C irradiation to effectively remove contaminants from surfaces. The robotic manipulator uses a wiping mechanism to physically clean high-touch areas, while the UV-C light ensures thorough disinfection of hard-to-reach corners and narrow spaces.

Real-world testing at Pohang St. Mary’s Hospital validated the robot’s performance, with bacterial culture experiments confirming its effectiveness in disinfecting surfaces. Repeated autonomous operations were carried out to verify its long-term usability in clinical settings.

The significance of this technology lies in its ability to automate time-consuming and repetitive disinfection tasks, allowing healthcare professionals to devote more attention to patient care. Additionally, the robot’s precision control algorithms minimize operational failures, while its integration with a self-sanitizing station and wireless charging system ensures sustained disinfection operations.

Professor Keehoon Kim emphasized that despite COVID-19 transitioning into an endemic phase, it remains essential to prepare for future pandemics by advancing this disinfection robot technology beyond hospitals to public facilities, social infrastructures, and everyday environments to further reduce infection risks. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT).

The world of electronics is set to undergo a significant transformation thanks to a groundbreaking technology developed by a research team led by Professor Yong-Young Noh and Dr. Youjin Reo from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology). In collaboration with Professors Ao Liu and Huihui Zhu from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the team has successfully created a novel p-type semiconducting material that promises to revolutionize next-generation displays and electronic devices.

Transistors, the microscopic components that regulate electric currents in smartphones and other devices, have traditionally been categorized as n-type (electron transport) or p-type (hole transport). While n-type transistors generally demonstrate superior performance, achieving high-speed computing with low power consumption requires comparable efficiency from p-type transistors. To address this challenge, the research team focused on developing a novel p-type semiconducting material.

Tin-based perovskites have emerged as a promising candidate for high-performance p-type transistors. However, traditional solution processes used to fabricate these materials present challenges in scalability and consistent quality. In a significant breakthrough, the team successfully applied thermal evaporation, a process widely used in industries such as OLED TV and semiconducting chip manufacturing, to produce high-quality caesium-tin-iodide (CsSnI3) semiconductor layers.

By adding a small amount of lead chloride (PbCl2), the researchers were able to improve the uniformity and crystallinity of the perovskite thin films. The resulting transistors exhibited outstanding performance, achieving a hole mobility of over 30 cm2/V·s and an on/off current ratio of 108, comparable to commercialized n-type oxide semiconductors.

This innovation not only enhances device stability but also enables the fabrication of large-area device arrays, effectively overcoming two major limitations of previous solution-based methods. Importantly, the technology is compatible with existing manufacturing equipment used in OLED display production, presenting significant potential to reduce costs and streamline fabrication processes.

“This technology opens up exciting possibilities for the commercialization of ultra-thin, flexible, and high-resolution displays in smartphones, TVs, vertically stacked integrated circuits, and even wearable electronics because low processing temperature below 300°C,” said Professor Yong-Young Noh.

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under the Mid-Career Researcher Program, the National Semiconductor Laboratory Core Technology Development Project, and Samsung Display.

The hospitality industry is taking a cue from new research in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management, which suggests that service robots can be designed to influence customers’ decisions based on their gender characteristics. The study found that service robots with characteristics typically associated with males may be more persuasive when interacting with women who have a low sense of power.

Led by researchers Lavi Peng, Anna Mattila, and Amit Sharma, the team conducted two studies to explore how the gender portrayed in service robots can affect customers’ decisions. In the first study, participants were asked to imagine visiting a new restaurant and receiving a menu recommendation from a service robot. The results showed that women with a low sense of power were more likely to accept recommendations from male robots.

“For men with a low sense of power, we found the difference was less obvious,” said Peng. “Based on our findings, consumers with high power tend to make their own judgment without relying on societal expectations.”

The researchers suggested that businesses could leverage these findings by using male robots to recommend new menu items or persuade customers to upgrade their rooms.

To mitigate gender stereotypes in robot design, the team conducted a second study and found that “cute” features, such as big eyes and raised cheeks, can reduce the effect of portrayed robot gender on persuasiveness. Both male and female customers responded similarly to robots with these features, suggesting that businesses could consider using cute designs to mitigate gender stereotypes.

The Marriott Foundation supported this research, highlighting the importance of understanding how service robots can influence customer decisions in the hospitality industry.