Coronavirus: Montreal hospital to test disinfection robot that uses ultraviolet rays

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre says it will soon conduct the first Canadian test of a robot that uses ultraviolet light to disinfect.

The Montreal institute moved to order the robot just as the COVID-19 pandemic was emerging in China and Europe to see if the technology could be useful to Canada. A first robot arrived Monday for testing purposes.

The robot will also be tested in other Quebec locations — notably the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and long-term care homes — before a decision is made on purchasing the $120,000 device.

“We are going to test its mobility, if it is able to go to our rooms, in all corners, if UV light touches all parts of the room, and in addition if the robot is able to enter the bathrooms (in private rooms) and completely disinfect them,” said Dr. Bruce Mazer, interim executive director and acting chief scientific officer of the research institute.

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The robot can also be used to disinfect an operating room.

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