Blue Ocean Robotics, the manufacturer of the autonomous disinfecting robot UVD Robots equipped with UV-C light, has been selected by Gallup McKinley County Schools (GMCS) in New Mexico to supply 37 UVD Robots to the districts’ schools to help fight the Coronavirus and other infectious diseases.
“COVID has taken an extraordinary toll on our community. The safety of our students and staff, developing a plan to bring them all back to school as safely as possible is our primary concern,” said Gallup McKinley Superintendent Michael Hyatt. “We wanted a larger, longer-term disinfection solution, adding a layer of protection that would disinfect surfaces and the air in our buildings and help fight COVID, colds, flu and infectious diseases for years to come.”
Infrastructure issues
GMCS covers a community with many rural areas facing infrastructure issues that make virtual learning a challenge, approximately 1,500 students have no internet at home. The district also educates many special education students who learn better in the classroom.
“Unlike stationary disinfection robots, the UVD Robot is a fully autonomous robot. It integrates UV-C light to disinfect against viruses and bacteria on surfaces and the air, killing 99.99 percent of microorganisms within approximately 10 minutes in every room it disinfects,” said Claus Risager, CEO, Blue Ocean Robotics.
Rigorous review
“We selected UVD Robots after rigorous review of numerous disinfecting robots,” said Hyatt. “UVD Robots delivered on all of our requirements including technical excellence, maturity and track record, quality of deployment, technical support and maintenance, and overall value.”
“We are excited to announce, what we believe is the largest deployment of autonomous disinfection robots in any U.S. school district,” said Per Juul Nielsen, CEO, UVD Robots. “We are honored to work with GMCS to go beyond COVID, bringing hospital-grade disinfection to the school district.”