A robot is zapping classroom surfaces at public schools in Oklahoma to make them germ-free, as a vicious flu season draws to a close.
The robot is being lent to Moore Public Schools by Norman Regional Health System, News OK reported.
Norman Regional purchased some of the robots – priced at $125,000 each – two years ago, and are now lending them to local schools to stop the spread of infectious diseases.
A disinfecting robot is being used in Oklahoma schools that have recently seen high rates of absent students due to the spread of illnesses
Moore Public Schools already employ robots to clean their buildings.
Machines douse the schools with a chlorine mist, helping out the cleaning staff charged with keeping clean schools reporting high rates of absences due to sicknesses.
But the robot on loan from Norman Regional is there to provide extra help.
School Superintendent Robert Romines explained to News OK: ‘Anything that it can contribute to killing germs at the sites we’re using it is beneficial.’
Norman Regional is allowing multiple school districts in Oklahoma to borrow the machinery via an outreach program.
The robot usually cleans patient rooms and public bathrooms in Norman Regional buildings, aiming to reduce the spread of infections.
It works by producing a bubble that is 14 feet wide and emits ultraviolet C light.
This light kills germs that are living on any exposed surfaces within the bubble.
Ultraviolet C light is produced by the sun, but it does not penetrate our atmosphere to reach earth; therefore, viruses and bacteria have not yet developed defense mechanisms allowing them to survive exposure to the light.
The robot emits ultraviolet C light, which kills bacteria and viruses, preventing them from being spread to new patients (file photo)
The robots used at Norman Regional buildings are made by Xenex Disinfection Services.
Xenex spokeswoman Melinda Hart told News OK: ‘The germs and microorganisms have no resistance because they’ve never seen anything like it.’
Ultraviolet C light harms the DNA of viruses and bacteria, and this prevents them from spreading.
People who position the robots go into separate rooms while the machines clean because humans are not resistant to ultraviolet C light.
WHAT IS ULTRAVIOLET GERMICIDAL IRRADIATION?
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a method of disinfecting relying on short-wavelength UV light that paralyzes or kills microorganisms.
The UV light does so by demolishing nucleic acids and limiting their DNA, which leaves the microorganisms without the ability to thrive.
UVGI is applied to water, food and air purification processes.
UVGI disinfection technologies have been widely accepted since the 20th century.
The technology is used primarily to sanitize medical facilities and work environments that must be sterile.
These robots emit ultraviolet C light and are used to clean hospitals and schools (file photo)
However, if a person were to be exposed only once, they would not endure severe damage.
Norman Regional guessed that the robots saved the health system $250,000 by reducing infections during the first year the machines were used at company buildings.
Norman Regional environmental services director Clyde Brawner told News OK: ‘We have seen the difference that they have made.
‘It’s a program that, if you implemented it correctly, you can see results [of] in days.’
Other facilities have also reported that the robots saved them money.
News OK reported that a Birmingham, Alabama, hospital said it saved more than $290,000 thanks to the machinery.
Hart said that most of the robots last about three years but that replacements are free.