Cleanbox Technology announced that it is launching its CleanDefense ultraviolet point-of-use mask decontamination product in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Carlsbad, California-based company’s technology uses UV-C light in an LED to decontaminate products worn on the face or the head with a focus on high-risk contagion transfer points. According to a news release, Cleanbox products have been proven to eliminate 99.99% of viruses, bacteria and fungi within seconds.
Last month, the National Institutes of Health validated four methods for mask decontamination, one of which was ultraviolet light. Atomic Blue is another company that recently launched a UV-C germicidal light for eradicating the COVID-19 virus.
Cleanbox designed a retrofit for cleaning masks, fast-tracking it from concept to manufacturing in 10 days. It works with the Cleanbox CX1 model and has already been deployed at places like Children’s National Hospital and Northwestern University Medical Centre.
“We actually started with the most difficult form factor first,” Cleanbox co-founder & CEO, Amy Hedrick, said. “Virtual & Augmented Reality headsets are made up of many different materials and delicate electronics that have multiple surfaces which are hard to reach. They are much more difficult to clean than cell phones.”
In addition, Cleanbox is set to launch this new CleanDefense product this summer to address the need to disinfect protective equipment at scale. The CleanDefense lightweight, point-of-use decontamination system is touted as capable of cleaning four masks in a one-to-two-minute cycle and approximately 100 in an hour.