How the pandemic has led to new innovations in the hygiene and sanitation space as we return to a world that now appears full of germs.
Any period of turmoil seems to be met with a wave of new innovations and technologies that shape the future moving forward. The SARs pandemic of 2002 – 2004 assisted the growth of Ali Baba as more people moved to ecommerce to minimise traveling and human contact. And the 2008 financial crisis advanced Uber & Airbnb as lower incomes meant shared car rides and borrowed rooms were appealing. So what will be COVID’s lasting stamp on the world?
We never used to think twice before giving a stranger a hand shake, touching our face in public or sharing weight equipment at the gym. However, COVID has made us aware of how quickly and easily germs can travel between people. This has led to companies innovating new products and technologies to help us live in a less germy world using ultraviolet lights (UV). UV disinfection is a quick and effective alternative to water or chemical disinfection. When bacteria or viruses are exposed to a specific range of UV wavelengths, they are rendered incapable or reproducing or infecting.
Scientists are currently evaluating UV lights as a way to kill the virus moving forward. However, there needs to be further research as exposure to UVC lights can cause skin irritation and lead to cancer, so they need to be used when no one is exposed. They also need to investigate cost effective ways to implement. So far, UV lights have been used by transport companies in both Shanghai and New York to disinfect buses and subways. Disinfecting a bus thoroughly would take two people around 30-40 mins. However, with UV lights, it takes between 5-7 minutes and it kills around 99.9% of viruses.
This UV light technology is also finding its way to every day products. Here are some of our favourites:
Huami is developing a plastic self- disinfecting mask with built in UV lights and filters. The mask is also see through and won’t interfere with face recognition software on phones. The see-through design will also allow people to see each other’s faces whilst wearing the mask.
Source: Huami via XDA-Developers
Yanfeng created a UV sanitiser for ride-share vehicles that can kill 99.9% of germs inside vehicles. The device clears the air with invisible UV rays and can do quick cleans between passengers. It can even detect with sensors where the previous passenger sat and focus on that area. This ‘Wellness Pod’ might be a great solution for companies like Uber who see hundreds of people getting in each car daily as it will give both passengers and drivers peace of mind.
Source: Yanfeng Yfai.com
This ‘SuperBlue’ toothbrush has been designed as a more hygienic alternative to regular or electric toothbrushes. The bristles are silicone so it lasts longer than plastic and it’s case uses UV light to kill 99.8% of bacteria.
Source: Trend Hunter
These CrazyCap self-cleaning water bottles also use UV technology to kill any waterborne microbes regardless of the water source. The CrazyCap bottle has different purification cycles that last between 1-2.5 mins depending on water source ie. water from public fountain or rivers. It also self-cleans itself throughout the day to prevent odours.
Source: Crazy Cap via Cnet.com
Sylvia Jahn
