The 0-3 Atlanta Falcons' second-half play this season has been anything but clean, but now with the help of some high-tech drones, at least their stadium will be spotless. The team and Mercedes-Benz Stadium have partnered with Charlotte-based Lucid Drone Technologies for D1 disinfecting drones to sanitize the stadium. They will use two drones to sanitize the 71,000-seat area, with a third on deck if needed.
To get everything in the space clean, the drones use electrostatic spraying nozzles that allows for "medical-grade disinfecting chemicals" to be spread in the stadium, according to ESPN. The move to use these drones comes as the team plans to welcome back fans at a limited capacity in October, starting on the 11th when they host the Carolina Panthers.
Check out new drone technology providing innovative sanitization protocol at #MBStadium
— MercedesBenzStadium (@MBStadium) October 1, 2020
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/lxc9VCrK3o pic.twitter.com/ZY9grVE4V0
"This stadium is incredibly large, and as we begin to slowly welcome fans back, these drones allow us to maximize the time between games and private events to thoroughly sanitize," Jackie Poulakos, manager of building operations, told ESPN. "We are always challenged by leadership to continually innovate and this new technology is the ideal solution to effectively disinfect and sanitize our stadium in an efficient manner."
While the Falcons are the first team believed to use this drone technology, according to ESPN, they aren't the only one introducing high-tech way to get their stadium ready for fans. The Panthers have a Xenex LightStrike Robot -- referred to as a "germ-zapping robot" by team president Tom Glick -- on hand for games at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers are welcoming in 5,240 fans on Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals.
