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By Beth Stibal |

Key West COVID-fighting robot named “R2Key2”

Virus Outbreak-Robot
In this image taken with a remote camera provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, an ultraviolet light-emitting robot rolls in an active mode in a men’s bathroom at Key West International Airport Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in Key West, Fla. Key West is among first airports in the country to take delivery of the apparatus that is programmed to flood areas with UV light to kill COVID-19 and other viruses after initial area mapping. The UV light is so bright that the robot can only be used when people are not present. For the Key West airport, it will supplement other manual disinfecting techniques. (Steve Panariello/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

A name has been selected for the coronavirus-fighting robot that disinfects Key West International Airport.
R2Key2” was chosen because it salutes the fictional Star Wars robot R2D2 and the Keys.

The nearly 6-foot-tall robot disinfects the entire airport in 2 and a half hours.

The “name the robot” contest, staged Jan. 14, was part of the Florida Keys tourism council’s initiative to promote directives and safety protocols in place in the Keys to combat COVID-19, including mandatory masking requirements.

“While naming the robot is lighthearted in its nature, what we really are concerned about, and make a priority here in the Florida Keys, is protecting the health of our residents and our tourists,” said Keys Mayor Michelle Coldiron, who helped judge submissions and is also a tourism council board member.

“The robot is now keeping the Key West International Airport cleaner and safer for all who come through the Florida Keys.”