Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Holy Mosque and the Prophet's Holy Mosque is increasingly using technology to serve pilgrims and visitors of the Two Holy Mosques.

In this regard, the Environmental Protection and Epidemic Control Department at the General Presidency has deployed robots to support the intensified disinfection operations at the Grand Holy Mosque and its courtyards.

The robots use a control system that is programmed on a pre-installed map with six levels that contribute to protecting the environment and analyzing sterilization requirements according to various usage scenarios and courses of sterilization.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the director of technical and service affairs, Naif Al-Jahdali, said that the robots have a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) patent.

They can work between five and eight hours without any human intervention and have a capacity of 23.8 liters of sterilizers with a consumption rate of two liters per hour to eliminate bacteria in an area of 600 square meters.

He added that there are also robots that distribute bottles of Zamzam water to the pilgrims and visitors.

During a tour of approximately 10 minutes, the robot distributes 30 bottles of Zamzam water and can work up to eight hours without any human intervention.

He added that the move is part of coronavirus precautionary and preventive measures and also seeks to use technologies to serve visitors of the Two Holy Mosques.