The oven is lightweight, portable disinfection chamber specifically designed to kill various types of Coronoviruses, including Novel Coronavirus
In the current scenario wherein the COVID-19 pandemic is causing major socio-economic shake-up / distress to numerous countries across the globe, it has become imperative to identify technological opportunities and thereby find unique solutions to contain or at least mitigate the chances of serious outbreaks of this infectious disease. At this point in time, Log 9 Materials, a Bengaluru-headquartered nanotechnology start-up, has come up with an innovative product named CoronaOven that makes use of UV-C light (having wavelength of 253.7 nm) in combination with significant design parameters in order to disinfect surfaces (of various objects, personal protective equipments, etc.) from germs including bacteria and viruses.
CoronaOven is a lightweight, portable disinfection chamber (of 20 litres volume) specifically designed to kill various types of Coronoviruses, including the Novel Coronavirus. It is a proprietary, patent-pending device conceptualised and designed by Log 9, based upon the existing scientific principle of UltraViolet germicidal irradiation (a disinfection method applying short-wavelength UVC rays). What makes the product stand out is its ability to kill virus / pathogens within 10 minutes approximately and from all types of surfaces, after the object is placed inside the chamber for undergoing disinfection.
Speaking about the newly engineered, time-critical product, Akshay Singhal, Founder & CEO, Log 9 Materials says, “We at Log 9 are proud to be able to present a novel solution to the market pertaining to India and the world’s ongoing battle against COVID-19. The product here in context, i.e. the CoronaOven has been specifically designed by us keeping in mind the cell structure and characteristics of ‘the Corona family of viruses’. We were able to create this product and conduct simulations for the same within a very short timeframe (only in the last two weeks or so) basis our existing knowledge of nano-science as well as competence in terms of rapid prototyping and scientific product development.”
Elaborating further on the uniqueness of the product, Singhal added, “Not only does the CoronaOven provide accurate and necessary energy via multi-focal UVC radiation on each point on the surface on an object to be disinfected / sterilised, but also guarantees 100 per cent destruction of the Coronoviruses and other harmful microorganisms. It is a scalable and cost-effective solution built with easily available materials, and is as simple to use as a normal microwave. The product is now ready for mass deployment and we are going to manufacture the first batch of CoronaOven in the next 7-10 days.”
CoronaOven has been enlisted by Log 9 Materials on Government of India’s e-marketplace portal (www.gem.gov.in) and is expected to be commercialised on a large scale soon, reaching out to government agencies, healthcare providers, and other key stakeholders as well as the common public. The product will be made available in two variants: one, as a plug-in device and two, battery-powered.
Explaining the science behind the product and its effectiveness, Pankaj Sharma, Founding Advisor, Log 9 Materials said, “Once a specific intensity of UVC light is exposed to COVID-19 virus, it penetrates the virus shell, reaches its RNA strand, and thereafter makes a permanent alteration in its RNA structure, which renders the virus incapable of infecting or replicating inside any live cell. Our latest product CoronaOven has been designed based on previous scientific studies concluding how UVC light kills SARS COV-1 virus. Since SARS-CoV1 was detected in 2002, it is the most closely related coronavirus when compared to COVID -19 causing SARS-CoV2 which shares around 70-80 per cent of its genome with the former, it can be merited that UV-C is able to successfully inactivate / neutralise the effects of the Novel Coronavirus. Based on these scientific evidences and assessments, we came up with our new product made with UVC-safe materials, which not only ensures safe operations of the equipments inside the oven, but also ensures UV ray blockage so that outside personnel / users do not get adversely affected.”
Overall, CoronaOven is a risk-free, zero-chemical device deemed to have multi-level applications: in healthcare settings, in household or home settings, and for disinfecting delivery parcels on-the-go. In healthcare settings such as hospitals, CoronaOven can be used to quickly decontaminate / sterilise medical equipments like N95 masks, eye goggles, face shields, etc; this also enables reuse or multiple times usage of these masks and helps front-line workers like doctors and nurses to remain infection-free, even when there is a shortage / unavailability of masks and PPEs. On the other hand, at homes, grocery items, food items (including fruits and vegetables), water bottles, utensils, and various other home appliances and accessories having solid surfaces of plastic, metal, leather, fabric can be disinfected using the CoronaOven product.