Delhi University’s Hindu College has launched its first start up with the development of a machine that can disinfect a range of items. The machine, designed like a microwave, has UVC (Ultraviolet-C) tubes that disinfect items, said Lalit Kumar, an assistant professor at the college, who has developed the machine.
“You can place inside it any item that you want to disinfect. This machine can prove to be very useful for home, offices, hospitals, grocery stores etc. Through this machine, currency notes, office files, grocery items, fruits, vegetables, glasses, masks, healthcare products, ATM cards, parcels, children’s toys and other accessories can be disinfected within a minute,” he said. Kumar said that clothes cannot be put inside the machine since for the machine to disinfect an item, the surface has to be fully exposed.
“You will need a bigger machine to disinfect clothes. Of course, you can keep a small piece of cloth for disinfecting,” he said. The idea to develop the machine was born due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kumar said.
He said the machine is the result of a team work of Professor Anju Srivastava (college principal), Professor Reena Jain, both from Chemistry Department of the college, and IIT Delhi alumnus Updesh Verma. “This machine is capable of inactivating 99.9 per cent of bacteria, viruses, yeast and mould within a minute of exposure,” Kumar claimed.
The machine works by destroying the RNA and DNA strands of virus and bacteria, he said. It has been certified by Shriram Institute for Industrial Research and safety features are recorded by LASTEC, ie Laser Science and Technology division of DRDO, he said. The machine is available in the market at Rs 13,000 and has a capacity of 50 litres. It has been given an aesthetic look by two Delhi government school students who have painted it. The two girls painted the machine under the Business Blasters’ initiative of the city government.
“A few months back, I came across an article about two Delhi government school students who do hand painting. I had a word with them and they painted the front door of the machine. The machine looks beautiful. I have got all the machines in my inventory painted by them, he said. The work on the machine was started eight months ago and based on the machine the college launched its first start-up, which it has named Ionuva Innovations. “Next in line is an air disinfectant that we are working on. It will disinfect the air as well as purify the air,” Kumar said.
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