Five Questions With: Marc Furtado

Attleboro Public Schools have deployed 10 robotic disinfecting units this school year that sanitize to prevent the spread of viruses such as COVID-19. Called the ADIBOT disinfection system, the units are manufactured by UBTECH, a Chinese robotics technology company.

Attleboro schools are the first in Massachusetts to use the technology, and in-district COVID-19 transmissions have been negligible as a result, according to a news release. Marc Furtado, the school district’s director of finance, spoke to PBN about the disinfecting system.

PBN: How does the system work exactly?

FURTADO: ADIBOT is a 74-inch-tall unit with eight germicidal, shatterproof, UV-C [ultraviolet-C] lamps that is operated by either remote capability or a web app. It utilizes UV-C light waves to deactivate airborne pathogens and bacteria. It is 99.7% effective at disinfecting anything in the line of sight and the air. In our classrooms, typically a 900-square-foot room can be disinfected against COVID-19, flu, cold viruses and more during a three-minute cycle.

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PBN: Why did the school system turn to a technological method of sanitization to combat the spread of COVID-19?

FURTADO: First, the technology is proven, having been used for decades in hospital operating rooms. The use of UV-C for disinfection actually started in 1933 with outbreaks of TB [tuberculosis] and measles.

In the context of a pandemic that was poorly understood and inadequately addressed, we felt that the disinfecting performance of the robot more than justified its cost. We also saw the health problems in our students associated with remote learning/not coming to school, so we wanted to employ any and all means to try and get them back in safely.

Finally, while we added staff to do surface cleaning and disinfecting overnight, we knew that the problem was not originating from surfaces. The robot provided a far more effective method of disinfecting by disinfecting both surfaces and the air.

PBN: What are some of the benefits over traditional disinfection?

FURTADO: Most importantly, it is thorough. And not just for the COVID-19 virus, but for other things like staph bacteria, MRSA and influenza. The robots eliminate repeated use of any harmful chemicals. Another huge benefit is that it typically only takes a three-minute cycle. We have nine buildings, so nine nurses’ areas, 11 or more cafeterias and gyms – high-use areas and about 1.4 million square feet of building space. The manpower needed to painstakingly disinfect all of that space in a pandemic is daunting. The robots greatly assist with the manpower needed, as well as provide protection to our custodial staff in high-risk areas, like spaces occupied by students and staff who have tested positive.

PBN: One of the unit’s features includes a risk mitigation camera. How does that work?

FURTADO: If the AI-enabled [artificial intelligence-enabled] camera detects a human entering the room during a disinfection session, it will take three photos of the room immediately while shutting down. The disinfection session is also recorded and accessed through the app for records of the robot usage. These features – in combination with the PIR [passive infrared] sensors and the safety sign – ensure there is almost no chance of human exposure to UV-C light.

PBN: Attleboro schools use the units at night. But how safe are the systems if they are moving and people are around them?

FURTADO: The units have multiple safety components, including PIR motion sensors, an AI-enabled risk mitigation camera, remote controls so you can operate it from outside the room, and a sensor-enabled safety sign that must be placed in front of the door to the room for the unit to operate that [prevents] inappropriate exposure to the unit’s light.

In Attleboro, we typically use the units to disinfect after students and staff are out of the buildings, however we will also deploy the robots in areas that have a known positive test – the district tests everyone weekly – and feel very comfortable using and moving the devices where needed with students and staff in the building.

Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.