A robot reportedly capable of annihilating the COVID-19 virus could be the solution the world has long been waiting for. Over the past months, scientists have been studying the role of sunlight, especially the ultraviolet rays, in destroying the novel coronavirus. According to a recent report, this UV-beaming machine could kill the deadly virus as fast as a couple of minutes.
The Texas-based company called Xenes Disinfection Services announced the successful test of the robot that could reportedly kill the COVID-19 virus. Dubbed as LightStrike, the robot is capable of emitting light at wavelengths ranging between 200 and 312 nanometers. It could allegedly decontaminate surfaces that people usually come in contact with like doorknobs and beds, among others.
Terumo, a medical equipment manufacturer based in Japan known for its disposable syringes and other medical devices and equipment, is currently responsible for distributing the LightStrike in the region. It features the ultraviolet technology developed by scientists from John Hopkins University. In a recent report released by Nikkei Asian review, it quoted Xenes Disinfection Services in s claim that two or three rounds of five-minute UV radiation could leave pathogens of viruses too battered to function.
The same process has been reportedly proven to work against multidrug-resistant bacteria, as well as the Ebola virus, says the Texas-based Xenes Disinfection Services. CEO Morris Miller also noted that "the light strike robot is the only thing in the world today proven to kill SARS-CoV-2. They figured out by pulsing a xenon lamp, they could put out broad spectrum high intensity ultraviolet light. When you do that, it destroys pathogens in the environment like SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19."
Moreover, the LightStrike machine has allegedly shown its effectiveness in sanitizing N95 respiratory masks from coronavirus. The UV light robot had also annihilated 99.9 % of bacteria and germs, including COVID-19. It minimizes the risk of infection while allowing frontliners to reuse the protective equipment, which is in high demand these days. The UV-beaming robot is currently being used by more than 500 health care facilities all over the world to decontaminate surfaces.
Hospital staff - and one of our LightStrike Robots from our partner @360lifetech - celebrate the recovery of a #COVID19 patient in Quito, Ecuador! Recoveries have hit the 1M mark worldwide: https://t.co/Guauu9C1K5 pic.twitter.com/pkW9HURMs7 — Xenex Disinfection Systems (@XenexDisinfect) May 1, 2020
Interestingly, LightStrike uses cloud-based technology that allows users to send out reports that experts could analyze. Terumo was given the exclusive distributorship of the machine in 2017 is selling LightStrike around $140,000. According to a representative of Terumo, the company has received over 100 LightStrike inquiries made by medical institutions in the past couple of months.
