Joint venture sets sights on hygiene innovation tech

Avalon Robotics — a newly established joint venture between Avalon SteriTech and SoftBank Robotics Group (SBRG) — will focus on developing innovative products and technologies that strive to empower and benefit public health and wellbeing. The joint venture leverages Avalon’s strengths in biotechnology and health care, and SBRG’s expertise in AI, automation and robotics, to introduce intelligent and effective solutions that transcend conventional concepts of hygiene.

The venture will play a key role in global product planning, research and development, business development, marketing, and sales and distribution of Whiz Gambit and other technologies. The immediate goal of the joint venture is to introduce bio-decontamination capabilities to autonomous AI cleaning robot Whiz.

Avalon and SBRG aim to take cleaning and bio-decontamination beyond what is visible as a way to raise public confidence and achieve a greater sense of public and personal safety in communities worldwide, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technological solutions launched through the joint venture will help strike a balance between biocidal efficacy and responsible use of chemicals.

“We are proud to team up with SoftBank Robotics Group, a company that shares our mission to create a safe environment for all,” Avalon SteriTech CEO Lewis Ho said. “The synergy we create by harnessing expertise from both sides gives rise to a plethora of exciting ideas and opportunities through which we could address unmet public health needs. With the launch of our products and technologies, we look forward to accelerating the adoption of smarter, more environmentally friendly solutions around the world and spark a new era for public health and hygiene practice.”

SoftBank Robotics Chief Business Officer Kenichi Yoshida said, “We have been reviewing many disinfectant formats to enhance Whiz with an add-on function to deliver thorough floorcare cleaning and achieve disinfection efficacy. Avalon SteriTech is able to fulfil the high environmental regulatory standards after our extensive collaborative research work with them. We believe this partnership with Avalon SteriTech will continue to bring us from strength to strength as we endeavour to pursue and design new products and robotic solutions to address the new public health requirements.”

The agreement will be operationally managed by Avalon, which will become SBRG’s first and only global disinfection sprayer partner. It will also pave the way for future collaborations and technologies as both companies look towards new potential markets in Hong Kong and globally.

Image caption: SBRG’s robot, Pepper, has been optimised for engaging with people through conversation and the touch screen.