--- title: "Hong Kong Is Using Robots to Disinfect Subway Trains" description: "The Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corportation rolled out a disinfecting robot to clean subway trains using \"vaporised hydrogen peroxide.\"" date: "2020-03-12" modified: "2020-03-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hong-kong-robots-disinfect-subway-trains" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "mass transit" - "the digest" --- # Hong Kong Is Using Robots to Disinfect Subway Trains ![The Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corportation rolled out a disinfecting robot to clean subway trains using "vaporised hydrogen peroxide."]() *\Image: MTR Corporation\* ## Disinfection Bots In response to the coronavirus, transportation authorities in Hong Kong are getting creative in keeping subway cars squeaky clean. Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation, a government-owned railway operator, has rolled out a disinfecting robot to clean trains, [*Quartz* reports](). The mini-fridge-sized robots are capable of autonomously rolling down the trains as they spray a "vaporised hydrogen peroxide" (VHP) solution. Rather than completely replacing human cleaning staff, the robots are meant to assist them by getting to small gaps that are hard to reach, according to [a statement](). ## Spraying Vapor Operators can either remotely control the robots within 20 meters (66 feet) or put them on auto by pre-setting the floor plan. The robot takes about four hours to clean an entire 8-car train according to the company. "We plan to deploy a total of 20 VHP robots for train cleaning in depots and hope this helps to ensure the comfort of passengers’ journeys by providing ever greater health protection for our colleagues and our customers alike," Tony Lee, Operations Director of MTR Corporation, said in the statement. ## Van Diagram Larger [self-driving vans]() are being used by Chinese authorities to disinfect entire roadways and help deliver medical supplies. Hong Kong has had good success at keeping the outbreak in check. A total of only [129 cases]() have been confirmed so far, 39 of which came from outside its borders. **READ MORE:** [Hong Kong’s subway is sending robots to disinfect trains of coronavirus]() \[*Quartz*\] **More on disinfection bots:** *[Adorable Self-Driving Vans Are Disinfecting Roads in China]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()