UVCeed The Ultraviolet Light Sanitizer - that works with your Smartphone (MSRP $149.95) Ultraviolet Light Can Sanitize Objects To sanitize surfaces UVCeed emits UVC ultraviolet light which can kill bacteria and viruses including the deadly strains of the Coronavirus. Using UVC light as a germicidal disinfectant is not new and to quote the FDA “UVC radiation has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria…and the inactivation of viruses”. (fda.gov) Seeing it adapted to be AI and app controlled on your smartphone is very cool.
UVC Light Shrunk to Work with Your Smartphone UVCeed was developed by Dr. Peter Bonutti MD and his research team. Photo 1 shows you the packaged device and my assistant sanitizing a computer mouse. For their UVC light source they used a powerful mercury-free LED UVC light ray emitter that would be controlled by multiple sensors and their own proprietary iCide smart dosage system. They literally shrunk their hardware into a 2 ¼ by 3 by ¼ inch device that attaches to the back of your smartphone. See photo 2. Their hardware is controlled by the augmented reality app that they developed that you download from the Apple or Android online store. You actually watch, direct and control the disinfecting process on your smartphone screen. Your camera superimposes the objects in its view with the iCide smart dosage system of their app. You control what is taking place by pressing a button on the screen and the app provides messages so you know when sanitation is complete. See photo 3 and 4.
Medical Product Testing Before bringing this product to market Dr. Bonutti’s team ran all kinds of medical tests and determined that their device is “99.9 percent effective at killing germs, bacteria and viruses, including Sars-CoV-2 in seconds”. Specifically, their “laboratory tests proved that UVCeed can reduce Staphylococcus aureus by 99.9% in 15 seconds, Escherichia Coli by 99.9% in 15 seconds and SARS CoV2 by 99.9% in 32 seconds. Tested at 12.7 cm (5 inches) on hard non-porous surfaces”.
Augmented Reality Guides the Disinfecting Process They developed a disinfectant system that is driven by their Augmented Reality app which uses artificial intelligence to intuitively determine the distance between your phone and the object you want to disinfect, calculate disinfect time and highlight the area being sanitized in blue. The app also remembers the objects that you disinfect and according to their literature should grow smarter with use.
Reason to Drool Using the augmented reality app to watch an object be sanitized is really cool. The app tells you if you need to move closer to the object. When an area is sanitized it also tells you to move to another area if the object is too large to be handled all at once. Shared computer keyboards and mice could be the perfect place to use UVCeed.
Not So Cool UVCeed is always powered on and just goes into a deep sleep mode when not in use. The power button does not shut it off! Justin Beyers, the co-founder and CTO of the company, informed me that they originally had the button "but it caused more fiddle factor than usefulness". So, depending on how many objects you sanitize and days it sits unused you might frequently have to recharge it. You need to be reasonably close to the object which made me wish that they were able to provide a more powerful mercury-free LED UVC light emitter. Since Ultraviolet-C is a non-visible light source (200-320 nanometer wavelength) you can’t see the light when it is disinfecting an object. The Company indicates that their AI empowered augmented reality app can recognize people and pets. I would suggest that you make certain that only the object that you want to disinfect is showing on your screen when you press and hold the start button. When not in use I would also recommend that you shut off the app so there is no chance that it can accidently be turned on when you are not planning on using it.
