Many of EagleHawk's clients are universities with robust athletic facilities, and according to Walsh, the drone-based sanitization techniques are a safer and much more efficient way of disinfecting a large space than contracting numerous cleaners to walk around with backpack sprayers.
One of the many concerns for Americans, as we attempt to get back to a somewhat normal life, is the status of professional sports. With the NHL, MLB and NBA in the midst of suspending operations until further notice, there's growing fear that the NFL season may even be in jeopardy, or if a 16-game schedule is allowed to commence, it could take place without any fans.
Walsh believes this technology could serve as a tool to help out in that regard.
"I think a lot of the leagues are thinking about how to get people back into the stands safely, and there's a lot of aspects of that, but I think cleaning and disinfection on a regular basis is going to be part of that. Given the current technology of people walking around with backpacks is just not affordable or scalable, so it's just not as practical...so we're hoping with drone technology, we can be a part of the solution."
Walsh says the drones can disinfect an entire stadium within hours, and for what it's worth, their demonstration proved they can disinfect a section of Sahlen Field in a matter of minutes. He added that they're working on a safe indoor solution and that they've been working with the KeyBank Center facilities team.
"We're hoping to get connected with the different leagues, but big indoor facilities - we can provide the same service that we're providing outdoor as well."