Using Drones To Disinfect Broadway Theaters
Originally published on Forbes.com on May 20, 2020
As Broadway executives debate different strategies for reopening theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic, a Buffalo-based start-up company named EagleHawk has developed drones to spray disinfectants in Broadway theaters. “This technology reduces the need for human exposure, [minimizes the] costs of P.P.E., and can save a great deal of time and resources,” commented Will Schulmeister, its chief operating officer.
In the innovative system, the disinfectant is stored on the ground, and pumped through a hose to the hovering drone, which then spreads it throughout the theater. Meanwhile, another drone drifts underneath it to make sure that the hose does not get tangled in any of the seats.
“Using a drone to disinfect large targeted spaces and public areas, such as Broadway theaters, is more efficient than having multiple staff walk around and wipe down each seat or [use] a hand spray,” argued Schulmeister. “[W]e can cover large sections of seats very quickly," and “it’s much safer, because now you don’t have crews carrying heavy backpacks full of liquid, not being outfitted in P.P.E., [and] not being directly exposed to chemicals,” added Patrick Walsh, its chief executive officer.
“A Broadway theater could be disinfected by a drone in less than an hour, and without putting people on the front line,” Schulmeister said.
