Disinfect Smartphones With Ultraviolet Light

Smartphones are among our daily companions that are hard to imagine without. We take them in our hands countless times a day - and hygiene usually plays a minor role. Tablets and smartphones are also used in a variety of ways in the hospital and go from hand to hand. In order not to pass on pathogens, disinfection is absolutely necessary. Chemical agents cannot be used, however, as this would destroy the grease-repellent coating on the displays. Researchers at Fraunhofer IOSB-AST have developed a solution: disinfection using ultraviolet light.

Disinfect UVC LEDs

From the outside, the device looks like a microwave. Inside, however, so-called UVC LEDs - light-emitting diodes that work with ultraviolet light - with a wavelength of 269nm are used. A total of two separate UVC LED modules, each with 10 UVC LEDs, are installed for the top and bottom of the smartphone. Each UVC LED has a power of 100 milliwatts, so that the total beam power is two watts. A radiation dose of 800 J / m² is achieved in just a few seconds, which enables an efficient inactivation of bacteria and viruses.

The device not only disinfects the smartphones, it also identifies them: the applied dose is recorded and logged using an NFC reader. Every disinfection process can thus be validated and clearly assigned to the respective device. An LCD display informs the user about the most important functions. Downstream IT systems can also be integrated via W-LAN and web interface.

The prototype is expected to be presented in September 2020 at the IFAT, the world's leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management in Munich. The Fraunhofer IOSB-AST is still looking for commercial partners for commercial use.