Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
AsiaWire
This remote-controlled mini-tank originally used to disinfect Chinese prisons against the coronavirus is now being deployed on the streets where confirmed infections have taken place.
The armoured plated vehicle propelled by tank treads carries 200 litres of disinfectant liquid and can hose down some 540,000 square feet every hour.
The miniature tank developed by Shanxi Tianyi Technology Co Ltd is one of two now being deployed in residential districts in the city of Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province in North China.
Technicians dressed in full hazmat gear direct the remote-controlled tank from a distance, sending them into crowded communities where there have been confirmed cases of the disease now called COVID-19 by the World Health Organization.
Footage taken outside Xinghuabei Residential District shows the ease at which the highly effective tank is rolled off the back of a lorry and driven into the gated complex on 13th February.
AsiaWire
Hou Yongfei, deputy secretary general of the Shanxi Province Unmanned Vehicle Association, told local media: “We call them portable atomising vehicles.
“We began using them for disinfection and disease-prevention in Taiyuan on 4th February. They were used to disinfect prisons and other high-security environments.
“Now, twice a day, we send them into gated communities where there have been confirmed cases.
“These hybrid tanks, which are powered by both petrol and electricity, can take up to 200 litres of disinfectant, which they can spray in a fan shape to a height of between 6 and 8 metres (19 and 26 feet).
“We’ve found during the recent outbreak that this allows for zero contact, as the vehicles are controlled remotely.”
Mr Hou said the tanks travel at a speed of about 245 feet per minute, and can disinfect up to 540,000 square feet every hour.
AsiaWire
The death toll of COVID-19 continues to soar as official Chinese figures say 1,770 people have died as the result of the deadly virus.
There have been no fewer than 70,550 confirmed cases in the country, with only 10,845 recoveries reported so far.
Chinese villages and towns have been repurposing police, agricultural and recreational drones for similar disinfection tasks as the unmanned aerial vehicles have proven highly effective at killing off remnants of the COVID-19 pathogen and aiding in disease prevention.
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