Number of sanitizing robots at Grand Mosque to increase

The robot contains an early warning feature with voice transmission and works from 5 to 8 hours without human intervention. (Supplied)
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Updated 15 October 2020
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Number of sanitizing robots at Grand Mosque to increase

  • The robot performs internal sterilization on six levels, which improves the strength and safety of environmental health

MAKKAH: The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has announced that it will increase the number of robots used to sanitize the Grand Mosque.

More than 4,500 liters of sterilization materials are being used each day to disinfect the Grand Mosque to achieve a safe and healthy environment.

“The presidency is working to the highest standards to intensify sterilization operations in the Grand Mosque and its external squares, to provide the highest levels of readiness and to apply precautionary and preventive measures,” director of the environmental protection and epidemic control department at the presidency, Hassan Al-Suwairi, told Arab News.

He said that the presidency was studying all the options to mechanize technology and adapt it to serve pilgrims and create a safe and healthy environment in which they could practice their rituals with ease.

Al-Suwairi said that specialized robots were used for sanitization to keep pace with the latest inventions and to use the best technology devices in confronting the coronavirus.

“The smart robot, which is used in sterilization and environmental protection in enclosed spaces, works with an automatic control system programmed on a pre-map, and it holds a SLAM patent, with a high-performance atomization unit,” he said.

Al-Suwairi said that the launch of the high-precision robot would contribute to reducing the spread of coronavirus and other diseases and epidemics.

The robot performs internal sterilization on six levels, which improves the strength and safety of environmental health, and it intelligently analyzes sanitization requirements according to usage scenarios. It works from five to eight hours without human intervention.

The device can accommodate 23.8 liters. The volume of spraying is estimated at 2 liters per hour, and it eliminates bacteria in an area of 600 square meters at a time. The size of dry mist particles used in the disinfection process is from 5 to 15 micrometers.

“There are work teams in the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque that continuously study the possibility of increasing the number of smart robots in the Grand Mosque in proportion to its area,” Al-Suwairi said.

Al-Suwairi said that the technology reduced human intervention and measured the safety of environments that required continuous sterilization and disinfection.

He called on pilgrims to adhere to regulations and instructions to help the implementation of security, health and preventive plans aimed primarily to serve them and ensure their comfort.


Saudi defense minister receives Mukalla port director, thanks him for heroic role

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman poses with the director of the Port of Mukalla Salem Basamir on Tuesday.
Updated 48 min 29 sec ago
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Saudi defense minister receives Mukalla port director, thanks him for heroic role

  • Prince Khalid thanked Basamir for his heroic and humanitarian role in ensuring safety and protecting lives and property at the port

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman received the director of the Port of Mukalla Salem Basamir on Tuesday.
In a post on social media platform X, Prince Khalid thanked Basamir for his heroic and humanitarian role in ensuring safety and protecting lives and property at the port.
The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen carried out a limited airstrike in December targeting foreign military support at the Port of Mukalla in the Hadramaut governorate, where calm has been restored after a period of tension.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency following the strikes, coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said two ships coming from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates entered the Port of Mukalla without obtaining official permits from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition.
“The crews of the two ships disabled their tracking systems and unloaded a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the Southern Transitional Council forces in the eastern governorates of Yemen (Hadramaut and Al-Mahra) with the aim of fueling the conflict. This is a clear violation of the truce and the pursuit of a peaceful solution, as well as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216,” said the spokesman.