Cleaning Robots Spread Cheer to Young Hospital Patients

A floor-cleaning robot named Ella helps kill germs, such as the coronavirus, while telling jokes and singing to patients at a children’s hospital ward in the United Kingdom, the European Cleaning Journal reports.

The hospital, through the Mudstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, has been using the robots in its reception areas on a trial basis to clean large floors and free up human cleaners so they can focus on coronavirus touch points, according to the Daily Mail. Hospital authorities decided a special robot that can interact with people would provide a bonus.

“Ella has put a smile on the faces of some of our youngest patients,” said Sarah Gray, assistant general manager for facilities at the trust. 

Ella robots are controlled via a smartphone app and feature integrated sensors which allow them to detect and avoid obstacles. After completing their assigned cleaning duties, they self-dock and auto-charge to get ready for their next shift.

The hospital expects to redeploy the robots on the children’s wards in the summer when the pandemic eases. That’s when the robots’ entertainment features will come into play.

Ella’s repertoire jokes include: “How do trees access the internet? They log on.” The robot then “laughs” at its own joke via a speaker system while its head shakes and its LED eyes crinkle up in amusement.