Charlotte startup Lucid Drone Technologies has landed a major NFL partnership.
The company, founded in 2017 by Andrew Ashur, David Danielson and Adrian Mayans, has leased its drone technology to the Atlanta Falcons for use in disinfecting Mercedes-Benz Stadium after games.
The drones use electrostatic sprayers to evenly distribute medical-grade disinfecting chemicals that are nontoxic to humans and animals, are are in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency Standards. The solution, hypochlorous, prevents bacteria and viruses from sticking to surfaces.
Mayans said the goal is to eventually be able to have the 71,000-seat stadium cleaned in about two hours. Currently, the cleaning crew is using two drones inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and each drone can disinfect about 150,000 square feet in an hour.
"We gave Mercedes-Benz the ability to implement their own protocols," he said. "The drone is the application method, but they can use whatever chemistry they need to tackle their needs."
"We want them to leverage our tech to implement the most robust disinfecting protocols necessary," Mayans added.
Lucid Drone was originally created to connect power-pressure washers to drones for safer cleaning of building exteriors. In early March, however, the team began to look at ways to repurpose the drone technology to combat Covid.
Ashur said they quickly figured out how to disburse sanitation solutions to minimize the virus' impact, with a focus on the inside of buildings. The solution breaks down contagions on high-contact surfaces, including fabrics and closed-container foods.
Mayans said the Falcons originally reached out to Lucid Drone prior to the pandemic after seeing how the drones were used to power wash windows. The team was working with stadium personnel on a beta product when Covid hit, forcing them to set that project aside.
"At that point, we went heads down in developing the disinfecting drone," he said. "But we reached back out to [the Falcons] a few months later to let them know we were working on this. Big props to them for really embracing this kind of innovation."
Mayans said the team was invited to Atlanta in June to demo the disinfecting drones and began working out terms later in the summer.
"It was really a waiting game," he said. "We were put on the sidelines for a while waiting for the NFL to figure out their cleaning protocols and how to start the season."
Texas A&M has also been using Lucid Drone's technology for the last several months to disinfect areas on campus, including sports stadiums and arenas.
Mayans said the team will eventually return its focus to the original window washing drones. For now, however, the startup will continue building disinfecting drones and pursing new partnerships.
"In a year, hopefully I can tell you that we've done our part to fight against and put together a plan for this Covid world, so that looking onward we can keep finding other ways for drones to help people," he said.
