Will Theatres Rely on Drones for Cleaning? They Just Might

When Broadway and other theatre communities resume operations, thorough cleanings before and after performances are going to become a required practice. Theatre owners might have to rely on new methods to make sure their spaces are as clean as possible.

One company might have the solution - cleaning by drones.

EagelHawk, a company based in Buffalo, NY has developed drones built to clean spaces such as Broadway sized theatres.

The company’s COO, Will Schulmeister, told Forbes: “This technology reduces the need for human exposure, [minimizes the] costs of P.P.E., and can save a great deal of time and resources,”

The article went on to describe the process.

In the innovative system, the disinfectant is stored on the ground, and pumped through a hose to the hovering drone, which then spreads it throughout the theater. Meanwhile, another drone drifts underneath it to make sure that the hose does not get tangled in any of the seats.

Here is a video demo of the EagleHawk drone:

Given the need to make sure these spaces are absolutely disinfected, I support any and all methods and tools to ensure it happens. While the thought of a drone flying around a theatre is a peculiar sight to behold, if it saves lives, do it.

I can understand the concern that some might have about this negatively impacting employment for cleaning crews who work these theatres. But it’s absolutely possible they could be trained on this new technology, not to mention it could make their jobs drastically safer.

“A Broadway theater could be disinfected by a drone in less than an hour, and without putting people on the front line,” Schulmeister said.