ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Special sanitizing robots are making it safer for students to head back into the classroom in Attleboro this year.
Mark Furtado at Attleboro Public Schools said they bought 10 of the high-tech machines using federal pandemic relief funds.
“800-square-foot space, the robot will disinfect in three minutes. Completely,” he said.
The robots use UV light to disinfect surfaces and even clean the air.
“It’ll kill 99.9 percent of any pathogen of a room that it’s in that the light hits,” said Furtado.
He said Attleboro is the first district in the state — and one of the first in the country — to use the robots. But, according to him, the tech itself has been time-tested.
“The technology is proven. It’s been used in hospital operating rooms for 20 years,” said Furtado.
And he does not expect the district to stop using them once the pandemic is over.
“We don’t expect to stop using them, especially common areas, nurse’s areas,” he said. “Once and if COVID ever comes to pass, things like MRSA — which we’ve had issues in the past. Flu. You could go on and on. This will kill all of that.”
As for the students’ reaction to the robots?
“They’re curious! They’re terribly curious,” he said.
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