Ultraviolet rays lamp

With the advent of the new Coronavirus and a strong flu season both taking place right now, bacteria and viruses are a top concern for much of America — especially healthcare facilities. However, help might be on the way in the from of robots and lasers.

Germs are being zapped to death by three robots at NCH Baker Hospital in Naples, Florida, reports NBC 2. The hospital purchased the impressive machines — which resemble bug zappers in a way — to squash deadly bacteria like MRSA and even the Coronavirus.

The robot works by essentially shining an extremely strong light across the room that knocks out bacteria and superbugs, says a regional director working for the manufacturer of the products. The entire germ-zapping process only requires operation in three to five minute cycles to kill all the germs in the typical patient’s room.

Prairie Ridge Health in Columbus, Wisconsin purchased two ultraviolet light in August with the hopes of eliminating pathogens found on highly-touched surfaces, like patient rooms and bathrooms, reports the Columbus Journal. 

The manager of environmental services at Prairie Ridge Health says the healthcare provider purchased the ultraviolet light in an effort to take its disinfection practices even further — especially in operating rooms. 

Each night, Prairie Ridge Health staff will follow up the cleaning and disinfecting process by running the lights in eight cycles of three minutes.

“We’re doing as much as we can to fight the germs and keep people healthy,” says the manager, Marsha Koehn. “It’s just been endless, for what we can use it for.”