Kochi's Maker Village develops decontamination device

Kochi: Maker Village, Kochi, has devised a multipurpose decontamination device 'Lumos' that can sanitize items like N95 masks and vegetables and help check Covid-19 spread.

The device, designed by Devaditek Innovations, is under production and the hardware startup is readying to supply it to various institutions and hospitals across the state.

Sumith C Mohan of Devaditek said Lumos had been designed specifically to address the coronavirus pandemic, but the certified UVC medical-grade disinfection system could also kill an array of pathogens, like SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, germs causing different types of influenza, besides several strains of bacteria and fungi.

Devaditek has entered into a collaboration with the Collegiate Congress, under the United Nation's Master Plan initiative. The first lot would be shipped to Mali, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Haiti with support of the Collegiate Congress, he added.

The startup has donated several units to facilities taking care of Covid-19 patients.

Lumos has a minimal design with intuitive interface, zero consumables and low power consumption. It uses UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) technology for disinfection.

Its use to disinfect healthcare professionals' personal belongings, like mobile phone, wristwatche, wallets, stethoscope, N95 masks documents and laptops, in the isolation wards or nurses' stations can help prevent spread of infection within the facility.

Short and thorough, the disinfection cycle doesn't need pre- or post-processing. It's benign to electronics and that gives Lumos an edge over existing sanitization protocols.

Lumos application is not limited to clinical environments. The startup has also designed chambers of different features and volumes suitable for offices and homes.

The high-power lamps, coupled with the ozone functionality, could deliver 100 per cent disinfection in a short time, claimed the device developers. Unlike traditional methods of disinfection used in hospitals, UVGI was sustainable and non-toxic for the environment, it added.

Set up in 2016, Maker Village is a joint initiative of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Government of Kerala with IIITM-K in Thiruvananthapuram as the nodal agency.