Robot zaps hospital pathogens with UV light

A robot has invaded the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, MN. And its sole mission is to destroy… Destroy disease-causing germs, that is.

Although the rate of hospital-acquired infections has been declining in the United States, an estimated 1 in 10 patients will still contract an infection while hospitalized.

So the Mayo Clinic introduced a high-tech solution. It’s testing out a robot that flashes bursts of ultraviolet-C light that can kill a wide variety of pathogens and penetrate areas most cleaning techniques can’t reach.

The robot has made a difference. In rooms treated by its UV light, rates of C. difficile have dropped by 30%.

For more, watch the Mayo Clinic video.