The Joy of Cleaning: Autonomous Robot Supports a Safer, Greener Clean at a Chicago Pediatric Hospital — with a Touch of Compassion

In hospitals and healthcare facilities, cleanliness is essential to maintaining patient safety and supporting the healing environment. At an academic health system’s pediatric hospital in Chicago, maintaining high standards of cleanliness is a core part of delivering high-quality care.

Recognizing that the presence of a robotic cleaner might be intimidating or confusing for pediatric patients, the EVS team and collaborators developed a creative way to make the technology more approachable. They worked together to apply a colorful wrap featuring cartoon characters to the robot, designed to echo the hospital’s child-friendly environment and complement its mascot.

“Bringing this creative vision to life helped us turn a functional tool into something emotionally meaningful for children,” said Jay Patel, Resident Regional Director, Crothall Healthcare, EVS Division. “The robot’s custom design makes it a friendly, familiar presence that supports both safety and comfort in our care setting.”

The initiative highlights how thoughtful implementation of new technologies—when grounded in patient experience—can benefit both staff and those they serve.