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Hong Kong property
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Pandemic boosts demand for cleaning robots in Hong Kong’s shopping malls, offices and hotels

  • Their makers say they offer much-needed confidence to shoppers whose awareness of the importance of hygiene has been piqued by the pandemic
  • A recent survey found most Hongkongers would rather see robots disinfecting public spaces than humans

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People prefer to see a robot spraying disinfectant than a human, according to a recent survey. Photo: SCMP Handout
Lam Ka-sing

The sight of a cleaning robot quietly going about its business is becoming more common in Hong Kong’s shopping malls, offices and hotels.

The makers of the machines say they offer much-needed confidence to shoppers and hotel guests whose awareness of the importance of impeccable hygiene has been piqued by the pandemic. A recent survey by Ipsos suggested they are correct.
Robots promote public confidence by ensuring disinfection is carried out in a way that does not overwhelm shoppers, said Lewis Ho, chief executive of Avalon SteriTech, part of the Avalon Group, a Hong Kong biomedical company founded in 2013.

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“Would you rather see people in white coats showering [disinfectant] or a robot silently disinfecting in a shopping centre? It has now been over a year [since the outbreak started]. People very much want to get rid of this life”, where they are overwhelmed by the pandemic.

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Commercial landlords tend to agree.

“We want to pioneer the use of robots to to do sanitisation, cleaning our shopping centers and office space. We look at all kinds of technology that will be applicable to our business and our assets,” said Andrew Young, associate director of innovation at Sino Group. “The pandemic brought about demand from consumers who want something different in light of the changing environment.
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“And we find that technology can really bring about changes and speed up the change required [to] improve our operation. But most importantly, also improve life. [For] example using a robot to do cleaning.”

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