2200

300,000

That was the level of the US manufacturing output monthly index for June, according to the data released this week from the Federal Reserve Bank. That means the production was down almost 7 percent from the baseline year of 2012 (index = 100), but it did jump very nicely from the level of 87.0 in May and 83.8 in June. It was also well below the output level before the virus crisis started, with the index from February at 104.9. It was also down 11% from June of 2019. Factory utilization, however, was at a very low rate of 66.9%, though that was up from 62.3% in May. The long run average is a much higher 78.2%.

30

That's how many minutes it takes a new robot from MIT and Ava Robotics to disinfect a 4000-square foot warehouse of a Boston food bank through the use of ultraviolet light. The MIT researchers say the machine disinfects surfaces and - critically - neutralizes aerosolized forms of the coronavirus. That seems ever more important given recent reports that the virus stays airborne for longer periods than believed previously. The MIT technology uses a custom UV-C light fixture that is integrated with Ava Robotics' mobile robot base. During the test at the warehouse, the robot was able to drive by the pallets and storage aisles at a speed of roughly 0.22 miles per hour. At this speed, the robot could cover the 4,000-square-foot space in about half an hour. The results were encouraging enough that researchers say that the approach could be useful for autonomous UV disinfection not only in a warehouse but also other environments, such as factories, restaurants, and supermarkets. The design is in its early stages, and many improvements are already planned, such as improvement in coordinating teams of UV-C robots to work together. It is unclear when the system will be ready for commercialization.