by Bob Larson
Cable news channel CNN recently reported about a new weapon against the Ebola virus. Gigi is a robot, looking like a cousin of R2-D2, but the machine is a cold-blooded killer against the Ebola or other viruses.
After being wheeled into patient rooms at hospitals, humans clear out, and Gigi begins beaming ultraviolet (UV) light that’s 25,000 times more powerful than sunlight in killing viruses. The UV light cleans all surfaces, including under the bed or curtains. After five or 10 minutes, the germs’ DNA is so badly damaged that they can’t replicate and die.
Compared to chemical sterilization, the robot’s UV rays are 99.9% effective and much faster too. This is great for many medical facilities, airliners, and most anything. The robot was used in the cleanup of the patients’ treatment area at a Dallas hospital, which helped keep Ebola from spreading and making it a safer workplace according to the hospital.
Ultraviolet light has been used for decades for air and water disinfection, but the Xenex robot uses environmentally friendly xenon light instead of toxic mercury bulbs according to its manufacturer, Xenex Disinfection Services of San Antonio, Texas. This is just another example of technology helping to fight disease.
Bob Larson is a technologist and Marketing Director for 50 Plus Media Solutions. Contact Bob at Marketing@50plusmediasolutions.com