A team-built autonomous disinfecting robot that drives itself through a room while UV-C LEDs sterilize the surfaces it passes, intended to cut infection risk in shared spaces. The design brief was to keep it versatile and genuinely affordable rather than matching the cost of commercial units, so the whole robot came in under $150 in parts.

The chassis and shell were 3D printed, with a domed cover over a circular base that carries the drive wheels, the electronics stack, and forward-facing ultrasonic sensors for obstacle detection.

The assembled UV-C sterilization robot: a red 3D-printed dome on a black circular base, with two ultrasonic sensors facing forward
The assembled robot. The printed dome lifts off the base, and the paired ultrasonic transducers sit at the front edge for obstacle detection.
Interior of the robot showing the Arduino board, motor driver modules, lithium battery, and wiring on the circular chassis
Electronics stack with the dome removed: Arduino controller, motor driver modules, and the lithium cell mounted on the printed base.

Bill of materials

ComponentCost
UV-C LEDs (5 pc)$27.06
Arduino Nano microcontroller$22.05
Gravity Nano IO shield$11.30
DC motors (2)$9.99
3.7 V battery$17.99
Arduino car kit chassis$59.99
Total$148.29

Build schedule

PhaseDates
PlanningJan 16 to Feb 6
Parts procurementFeb 7 to Mar 1
Initial build and solderingMar 2 to 14
Coding and troubleshootingMar 15 to Apr 16
Finalizing and prepApr 17 to 24
Arduino NanoUV-C LEDs DC motor driveEmbedded C Chassis integrationCost-constrained design

Team project with Owen Lawrence, Leo Bruno, and Kaitlyn P.

Project report (PDF)