SARASOTA, Fla. -- Sarasota Memorial Hospital currently has around 30 patients in isolation while they are waiting for test results for the coronavirus, but a germ-fighting robot is helping to keep patients and staff feel more secure.
TRU-D is a robot that uses UVC light to kill nearly 100 percent of bacteria in a room.
→COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS←
TRU-D stands for Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfector.
The hospital has three TRU-D robots.
"TRU-D has been busy. We’ve been using TRU-D around the clock," said Allison Warren, Sarasota Memorial Hospital Spokesperson.
The robots are used in rooms that workers have manually cleaned and disinfected.
"TRU-D is just that added layer of protection for patients and staff," said Warren.
The robot uses concentrated UVC light so no one can be in the room when TRU-D is at work.
"It uses sensors to test the light and tests the reflection and refraction of the light. And then TRU-D runs for about 30 minutes and is able to rid the room of any of those concerning pathogens," said Warren.
So far Sarasota Memorial has not had any patients that have tested positive for COVID-19.
