The Atlanta Falcons‘ home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is believed to be the first professional sports venue to implement drone technology to clean the stadium beginning after the team’s Oct. 11 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium officials said Thursday morning that no other stadium has yet to use such technology. The 71,000-seat stadium, which has not hosted fans for the first two home games because of the coronavirus pandemic, will welcome back a limited capacity beginning Oct. 11. (The stadium hosted about 500 family members, friends and associates for a test run during Sunday’s Bears-Falcons game.)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium partnered with Charlotte-based Lucid Drone Technologies for D1 disinfecting drones to sanitize areas. The drones use electrostatic spraying nozzles for even distribution of medical-grade disinfecting chemicals that include an inhibitor that prevents bacteria and virus from adhering to surfaces without leaving a residue. The nontoxic hypochlorous acid solution is in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards, according to the company.
Two drones will be used to clean the stadium, and the team will have a third as a backup.
“The process of welcoming fans back involves actively listening and responding to their concerns and we understand that proper cleaning and sanitization protocols are top of mind in the current environment,” said Dietmar Exler, COO of AMB Sports and Entertainment. “We have worked tirelessly to provide a safe environment for not only our associates, players and staff, but especially our fans.”
The drone technology will be used for post-event disinfecting of the stadium’s seating bowl, handrails and glass partitions. The drones allow for a 95% reduction of the time needed to clean the seating bowl.
“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,” said Jackie Poulakos, manager of building operations. “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.”
The Falcons (0-3) have six more home games this season, including the Oct. 11 NFC South opener against the Panthers (1-2).
