As more healthcare spaces, including senior living and care facilities, look to technology solutions for cleaning and sanitizing, the federal government is cleaning up regulations to open the door to more robotic cleaning tools to hit the market.
The US Food and Drug Administration gave market clearance to Xenex’ latest LightStrike model, a robot that uses UV light to disinfect spaces. In doing so, the FDA also created a new medical device classification for UV-light robot cleaners.
Xenex’ previous versions of LightStrike have been in use for almost a decade in a variety of healthcare settings. Some senior living and care providers that have used the robot include Morningside Ministries, a senior living and care company based in San Antonio, and Ovation Communities, a senior living and care provider based in Milwaukee.
The LightStrike robot, which roughly resembles a mailbox on wheels, uses UV light to kill microbes on surfaces after any manual cleaning or disinfection that’s been done. The newest LightStrike+ model uses a xenon lamp to increase the intensity of the UV pulse.
Overall, the robot is in use in more than 1,200 facilities worldwide, and the new LightStrike+ model is the first of its kind to be recognized by the FDA, the company stated.
“We understand that it can be challenging for hospitals to evaluate UV technologies, especially given the unverified and often exaggerated claims made by some manufacturers,” Xenex CEO Morris Miller said in a statement. “FDA authorization gives hospital decision-makers the confidence that Xenex’s claims for LightStrike+ are accurate and validated.”
Several other companies are using various kinds of robotics technology to aid in cleaning. Life Care Services began deploying Whiz, an autonomous robotic vacuum, within its senior living and care facilities last year.
