Optimization of Targeted Aerosol Disinfection via Integrated Physical Modeling and B-Spline Trajectory Planning

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Abstract Effective autonomous disinfection in healthcare and office environments requires a precise balance between disinfectant coverage uniformity and operational efficiency. Unlike traditional full-coverage methods that rely on room saturation, this paper introduces a system-integrated framework that leverages a physical deposition model to drive an optimized trajectory-planning strategy. The methodology identifies critical disinfection keypoints via spatial analysis and sequences them using a constrained Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) tailored to the robot's navigable space. The core innovation lies in a unified mathematical architecture that decouples the robot's navigation path from the disinfection target trajectory through B-Spline representations. By integrating an anisotropic Gaussian model to account for the disinfectant's spatiotemporal behavior, the framework enables independent optimization of robot mobility and spray orientation. This architecture provides real-time adaptability to environmental constraints by allowing independent control of navigation and nebulization without the need for computationally expensive replanning. The framework was validated through experimental trials in real-world indoor scenarios using a custom-built robotic platform. Results demonstrate a markedly more uniform disinfectant distribution on target surfaces, with concentration variability reduced from approximately 33% to 6%, underscoring that room saturation does not inherently ensure concentration homogeneity across specific points of interest. Furthermore, the methodology reduces execution time by nearly 50% and decreases disinfectant consumption by more than 40% compared to a brute-force strategy.
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Optimization of Targeted Aerosol Disinfection via Integrated Physical Modeling and B-Spline Trajectory Planning | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Optimization of Targeted Aerosol Disinfection via Integrated Physical Modeling and B-Spline Trajectory Planning Manuel Alò, Carlos Alberto Gagliano, Mikael Andreas Bianchi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8838805/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Effective autonomous disinfection in healthcare and office environments requires a precise balance between disinfectant coverage uniformity and operational efficiency. Unlike traditional full-coverage methods that rely on room saturation, this paper introduces a system-integrated framework that leverages a physical deposition model to drive an optimized trajectory-planning strategy. The methodology identifies critical disinfection keypoints via spatial analysis and sequences them using a constrained Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) tailored to the robot's navigable space. The core innovation lies in a unified mathematical architecture that decouples the robot's navigation path from the disinfection target trajectory through B-Spline representations. By integrating an anisotropic Gaussian model to account for the disinfectant's spatiotemporal behavior, the framework enables independent optimization of robot mobility and spray orientation. This architecture provides real-time adaptability to environmental constraints by allowing independent control of navigation and nebulization without the need for computationally expensive replanning. The framework was validated through experimental trials in real-world indoor scenarios using a custom-built robotic platform. Results demonstrate a markedly more uniform disinfectant distribution on target surfaces, with concentration variability reduced from approximately 33% to 6%, underscoring that room saturation does not inherently ensure concentration homogeneity across specific points of interest. Furthermore, the methodology reduces execution time by nearly 50% and decreases disinfectant consumption by more than 40% compared to a brute-force strategy. Coverage Path Planning B-Spline Trajectory Optimization Constrained Traveling Salesman Problem Autonomous Disinfection Robots Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 10 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 19 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 24 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 10 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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