Hollywood May Use "Germ-Zapping Robots" to Secure Sets From Coronavirus

Hollywood is looking at ways to protect their employees and secure their sets from the coronavirus once film and TV productions resume, with "germ-zapping robots" being one means reportedly under consideration by some studios and networks. Lab-certified disinfecting robots -- some of which are already in use at more than 500 hospitals worldwide-- would use ultraviolet light to eliminate the virus SARS-CoV-2 from sets. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-12-greatest-giant-robots-ever&captions=true"] One production that's already expressed "serious interest" in Xenex Disinfection Services' "Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot" is the CBS television series Blue Bloods. According to The Hollywood Reporter, testing results show "the robot was able to deactivate 99.99 percent of the novel coronavirus in two minutes with its LightStrike technology." The fast-working robots -- which THR says "can be rented on a per-month basis or purchased for roughly $125,000" -- are said to be able to disinfect dozens of rooms per day. (Hollywood sets are still cleaned the old-fashioned way, by people with mops and brooms.) THR breaks down how the robots would work on set like this:

"A trained individual places it in a designated area, turns it on and then exits the room for the next five minutes while the device generates bursts of high-intensity, full germicidal spectrum UVC light (more intense than sunlight.) Though a few seconds of human exposure to the light is within all of the safety thresholds ... there can be damage to the eyes after prolonged exposure, which is why it’s important to not be in the same room when the device is running."

Productions would also be expected to work with labor unions in order to have a human be in charge of the robot, even though the machines can navigate on their own. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=saddest-robot-deaths&captions=true"] For more coverage of Hollywood's response to COVID-19, check out our full list of all the movies and TV shows postponed by the pandemic, read about Bane masks selling out, and find out why AMC Theaters and Universal are at war.

from IGN News https://ift.tt/2A42vxa
via IFTTT