To address the time-intensive and inconsistent nature of manual hospital cleaning, the Silicon & Embedded division at GlobalLogic partnered with Haystack Robotics to engineer an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) for disinfection. The project began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when sanitizing healthcare facilities became an urgent use case. Kunaal Mahanti, physical AI lead at GlobalLogic, told The Robot Report that GlobalLogic served as the engineering and collaboration partner to help realize Haystack's concept of improving disinfection coverage.
The resulting AMR combines real-time perception, edge-based intelligence, and navigation to deliver hospital-grade UV disinfection. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company stated that the robot can operate safely alongside people, interpret its surroundings, and adapt to environmental changes. GlobalLogic designed the system as an expandable platform by architecturally separating the mobile track base from the UV payload, allowing different equipment to be mounted later. The platform utilizes ROS for programming and reusable sensor fusion architecture.
To navigate crowded and closed-off healthcare facilities, the team developed two operational modes. In autonomous mode, the robot navigates and finds target rooms independently, while in "follow me" mode, it follows a nurse or caregiver who can open doors and prepare spaces. Mahanti noted that engineering the robot for quiet operation and stringent safety requirements in healthcare provided architectural and motor-control advancements that GlobalLogic has applied to other projects.
Broader adoption of robotics in hospitals continues to face obstacles, including justifying return on investment, meeting medical compliance standards, and managing staff perceptions regarding robot size in corridors and elevators. Prem Balasubramanian, chief technology officer of GlobalLogic, highlighted that integrating into human-centric workflows remains challenging, as robots must navigate dynamic, crowded environments such as emergency rooms without impeding medical personnel.