Their names are Margy and Noble, and one suburban hospital will be using these germ-zapping robots to try to kill bacteria that can lead to costly hospital-related infections. Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights this week began using two Xenex robots, which employ ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses in patient rooms and other parts of the hospital. Medical center officials hope to slash the cost of hospital-related infections by 50 percent over the five-year life span of the robots, which cost $125,000 each. David Pearce, Northwest Community's executive director of support services, said the C. difficile superbug alone can cost a hospital $35,000 per infection.
