Advanced Robotic Technology at Parrish Healthcare is Helping to Protect Patients, Their Families and Hospital Staff from Infection

TITUSVILLE, FLA. (June 23, 2025)—Parrish Healthcare’s three disinfection robots use high-intensity ultraviolet light, called UV-C, to kill bacteria and viruses principally in the hospital’s isolation rooms, intensive care unit and operating rooms, areas in hospitals with patients that are more vulnerable to infections.

Robots at work at Parrish are Solaris Lytbot UV-C light disinfection robots. UV-C light is known for its germicidal effects. A National Institute of Health study said, “Ultraviolet light in the UV-C band…is widely used for decontamination and disinfection of environments, water and food.”

“Parrish’s robots are operated by the hospital’s Environmental Services (EVS) Department and are an important part of infection prevention,” said Devin Smith, Parrish Healthcare EVS Director. “EVS technicians will first manually and thoroughly clean the room. Afterwards, the EVS technician uses a remote control to move the Lytbot into the space to begin its UV-C disinfection cycle. The process ranges from three to ten minutes.”

“Cleanliness is a vital part of patient safety,” Smith said. “When I’m visiting with patients, they’ll often inquire about the robots and what they do. If they’d like to see the robots in action, I put it to work in their room’s bathrooms while I explain what the light is accomplishing. It sparks great conversations about the high-level technology to keep them safe.” Smith says, upon watching the robots, patients often react with wide-eyed fascination. “One patient recently asked if they could borrow a Lytbot to clean their own home, while another joked it reminded them of the Jetson’s cartoon and thanked us for bringing futuristic cleaning technology to Parrish.”

The five-foot-tall robots also are used throughout the hospital in high-traffic areas to respond to specific needs. “This technology is valuable in helping us to fulfill our mission of healing experiences for everyone all the time,” Smith said.

Parrish Infection Prevention Professional Regan Wagner, MPH, CIC, said robots can disinfect places difficult for people to access. “Surface areas are one thing, but hard-to-reach places present challenges that are effectively overcome using the robots,” Wagner said.

“Disinfection and hygiene are an every-minute-of-the-day process,” Wagner continued. “Our robots, paired with our already extensive cleaning and disinfection practices, amplify our efforts to combat infections and maintain a clean and safe healing environment.”

For more information about technological advances in use at Parrish Healthcare please visit parrishhealthcare.com/news.