Tackling Viruses With Germ-Zapping™ Robots

In times of crisis, you'll see the rise of amazing companies, and Xenex, a company that is the world leader in UV technology-based infection prevention strategies and solutions, is one of them. You may not have heard of Xenex, but the next time you visit a hospital, there's a good chance a Xenex robot will have cleaned your room before you checked-in. Xenex's Robots are making the world a better place by destroying the microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections, and have seen a huge increase in demand since COVID-19 became an everyday word in the United States. In this episode of Innovation Calling, we talked with Xenex's Co-Founder, Mark Stibich to talk about this amazing technology, and what makes it so unique and effective, in addition to learning more about what's changed for this business since this pandemic struck, and where we can see their robots outside of hospitals, plus so much more. Here's the official episode breakdown: 5:36 - Understanding Xenex’s background, and where the idea was first born. 8:14 - Digging deeper into the technology, and why this product is so amazing. Who was able to determine that this type of light could actually kill bacteria at a deeper level? 11:35 - When it comes to understanding a higher frequency, is that the wavelength is lower, which allows it to penetrate smaller organisms, or what is it exactly that makes it so much more successful? 13:09 - With the emergence of COVID, how has demand changed, and what’s been one of the biggest obstacles that Xenex has had to overcome to keep up? 17:49 - When it came to supply chain issues and part issues suddenly not becoming available, how were they able to overcome with the new issues? 19:10 - Does this then change the trajectory of the business, and when you’re in the midst of a pandemic with a product that can make such a huge difference, how do future products change? 21:19 - With the main product using light at such a high frequency does it cause harm to humans? 23:47 - Are Xenex’s robots meant to replace the cleaning staff, or is this something that simply enhances the cleaning experience? 28:47 - What makes Xenex’s disinfection techniques so unique, and what kind of rate can they clean rooms in addition to the quality of the cleanliness? 31:42 - Is it possible technology like this will go past the hospital especially as we see companies taking sanitizing more seriously? 34:25 - What kind of lifespans do the robots have? 36:03 - As the light bursts out, is there a limit on the efface over distance or is it like a lightwave where it can go miles and miles? 36:47 - Can something like this be used in sports stadiums? 40:17 - Xenex was actually invited to participate in an incubation program at the Houston Technology Center. What was that experience like for starting and growth? 42:30 - How important was it for someone to find the partners who understood the technology and could grow with it? 43:08 - When first growing, what kind of objections were hospitals providing as they were trying to implement the product? 47:08 - The great story about how all of the robots get named, and how some people get creative with the names. Want to learn more about Xenex? Visit xenex.com or contact Mark directly at mark@xenex {dot} com.