Drones to Disinfect Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Professional contact sport facilities have been upgrading their cleaning regimes as they begin allowing fans back. Officials at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS) announced earlier this month  that they will be using disinfecting drones from Lucid Drone Technologies Inc. to sanitize their arena for home games.

CNN reports that a pair of drones will be used on October 11 for the Atlanta Falcons home game against the Carolina Panthers, which will be attended by a limited number of fans. The Falcons have not allowed ticketed fans for the first two home games. At the team’s last home game against the Chicago Bears on September 27, the Falcons hosted 500 friends and family members as a test run.

MBS officials said the stadium “is the first professional sports venue to sanitize its arena using drones.” MBS partnered with Charlotte, N.C.-based Lucid Drone to use a pair of disinfecting drones to sanitize key areas in the arena like the 71,000 seats, handrails, and glass partitions. They have a third drone available as a backup.

The DS1 drones will be used after the game for post-event disinfecting. The drone technology uses electrostatic spraying nozzles to evenly distribute medical-grade nontoxic disinfecting chemicals that do not leave a residue and meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. These drones allow for a 95% reduction in time spent cleaning the seats, which will allow MBS’s cleaning staff to focus on other areas of the stadium.

MBS will set up 600 hand sanitizing dispensers throughout the arena. Face coverings are mandatory, along with six-foot social distance between seated groups.

CNN reports that the Falcons are not the only NFL team using new robot technology to clean its stadium. The Carolina Panthers are using an ultraviolet (UV-C) disinfection robot.

For more information on Lucid Drone Technologies, tune in to the Straight Talk episode below.