SHARON, Pa. - A robot is helping keep a Valley hospital safe for patients. Sharon Regional Health System has enlisted the assistance of Xenex, the germ-zapping robot to battle potentially deadly pathogens and kill multi-drug resistant organisms that put patients at risk.

The robot uses pulsed xenon ultraviolet light that is 25,000 times more powerful than sunlight to destroy harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores.

The hospital says that the robot is effective against even the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C. diff), norovirus, influenza, and staph bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.

The system can disinfect a room in minutes and is portable, allowing it to be used in virtually any location within the hospital.

Sharon Regional officials say that their hospital is the first in Mercer, Lawrence, or Crawford counties to implement this disinfection system.

The UV light is able to reach every surface in the room without leaving a chemical residue. Each treatment takes about five minutes.

To disinfect a room after standard cleaning procedures are complete, a hospital team member positions the robot in the room on one side of the bed, begins the automated sequence, then leaves the room.

A sign is placed outside the room warning people not to enter while the robot is in operation, and a motion sensor on the robot automatically shuts off the machine if anyone should enter.

The process is then repeated on the other side of the bed and in the bathroom, for a total of 15 minutes to thoroughly clean each room.