Frasers Property, PBA roll out robots in Singapore vs COVID-19

Sunburst UV robot

Frasers Property and PBA Group are collaborating to roll out UV-disinfecting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) — called Sunburst UV Bots — as part of a series of measures undertaken by Frasers to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frasers Property will be the first mall operator in Singapore to adopt this made-in-Singapore technology. The AMRs will be introduced to Northpoint City in May and progressively rolled out at Frasers Property Group’s other malls in Singapore.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, it is critical for us to ensure the ongoing health and safety of our staff, tenants and shoppers,” said Low Chee Wah, CEO of Frasers Property Retail.

“The deployment of the AMRs at our malls will enable us to step up our efforts to protect the communities we operate in and relieve the manpower resources on labour-intensive cleaning tasks,” said Low. “This forms part of our overall strategy to tap on technology and automation to increase our operational efficiency.”

PBA’s AMRs are the first made-in-Singapore mobile robots, which are designed, developed and manufactured using proprietary technology. The AMRs are built with an ultraviolet-C light module, emitting powerful UV-C rays which can eradicate viruses. They automate the disinfecting process, relieving the strain on manpower resources. 

Using data from cameras, built-in sensors and software, the AMRs can detect, navigate and adapt to changes in their environments, as well as map out and identify the most efficient routes. 

“PBA will do our part in fighting COVID-19, combining our existing technologies in AMRs together with disinfecting technologies to assist in maintaining safe spaces for the public,” said Derrick Yap, CEO of PBA Group. “We are rolling out the Sunburst UV Bots to shopping malls first, before moving into other sectors islandwide.”