Sterly
Why did we invent Sterly?
The inspiration for Sterly came at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Many businesses, including MIACO Plus, were highly affected by the pandemic. As a result, we began to research what could be done to improve the situation. Combining our knowledge of Physics and Electrical & Electronic Engineering, we came up with the idea for a portable but powerful UVC sterilizer for everyday needs, surpassing the power of the existing devices that utilize UVC technology. From then on, we focused all our time and energy on digging into every single aspect of the theory, electronics, and practical usages of UVC. And now we proudly present you Sterly, the UVC flashlight that is the ideal solution for fighting the germs that surround us.
What is UVC?
UVC refers to the invisible light with wavelengths between 100nm and 280nm. For disinfection purposes, UVC with a wavelength from 100 – 200 nm will produce toxic Ozone in the air. UVC is considered the most effective at 265nm, as DNA and RNA are the most susceptible to light at this wavelength. UVC energy is absorbed by nucleic acids inside the RNA and DNA of the microbes, resulting in covalent bonds which at the right dose can render the pathogen unable to reproduce and infect. The principal way UVC inactivates a pathogen is the creation of Thymine dimers within the cell DNA – which has a demonstrated peak absorption of 260 nm.
Why are these absorption spectrums slightly different across pathogens? This change is the result of cellular protein, specifically the presence of aromatic amino acids. UV Dose is the amount of UV radiation a microbe is exposed to and depends on the intensity of UV radiation and exposure time. A number of biological studies have produced widely accepted typical UV dose requirements for most common target microbes in disinfection.
Is UVC effective against COVID-19?
Covid-19 is a coronavirus, which is one of the easiest germs to be inactive. There are numerous studies showing the effectiveness of UVC with wavelengths of 280nm, 265nm, 254nm and 222nm against Covid-19. Since UVC is radiation, the sanitizing power towards shade areas is greatly reduced. The small and compact size Sterly can be easily adjusted to clean all areas of an object.
REFERENCE of 280nm against Covid-19 |
REFERENCE of 222nm against Covid-19
How do I know it is working?
There is a strong visible light indicating the UVC light and a user can easily spot the visible light outdoors.
If you want to check if the device is emitting invisible UVC, the following are the simple testing methods.
-Point Sterly towards a sheet of A4 paper. It will glow.
-Shine Sterly on a banana skin. It turns purple after 25min of UVC exposure.
-Use Sterly to sterilize the inner part of a used mask. The bad smell of the mask will be gone shortly.
-Use Sterly to a cut orange. The orange can be kept days even a week longer.
Can Sterly be used to disinfect a mask?
Sterly can greatly increase the reusability of masks, whether they are surgical masks or reusable masks, without destroying the material’s filtration properties. This means the biomedical waste from used masks can be reduced significantly.
Sterly also provides a much better experience for people who need to wear masks for extended periods of time, as it can eliminate bad odors inside masks. Fewer new masks are being used as a result.
REFERENCE
How much time do I need to disinfect an item?
Phone: phone surface contains the following germs:
Streptococcus,
MRSA and
E. coli. To inactivate streptococcus, on average you need 5 sec.
REFERENCE
Mask: While different viruses and bacteria need different doses for inactivation, on average it is about 5 seconds at a distance of 5cm. The closer it is, the higher the UVC dose, hence, shorter time for disinfection needed. Once disinfected, the mask can be used again. (According to
CDC and the University of Nebraska developed an N95 Filtering Face Mask Respirator Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) Process for Decontamination and Reuse (
source), UVC can be used for mask disinfection without damaging the material of the masks.
REFERENCE). Also, Sterly can sanitize the bacteria inside the mask that cause bad smells.
How long can Sterly be used?
As Sterly is a powerful device. We strongly recommend you not to use Sterly for more than 5min of continuous disinfection.
How far away from an item should I hold Sterly while disinfecting?
At a distance of 5cm, Sterly can inactivate germs in 5 – 10 seconds on average . The time needed to disinfect germs decreases significantly when holding Sterly closer to a surface. At a distance of 3cm, Sterly requires around 2-4 seconds.
How far away from an item should I hold Sterly while disinfecting?
At a distance of 5cm, Sterly can inactivate germs in 5 – 10 seconds on average . The time needed to disinfect germs decreases significantly when holding Sterly closer to a surface. At a distance of 3cm, Sterly requires around 2-4 seconds.
Is Sterly safe to use?
It is strongly advised that a user never points Sterly towards anyone’s eyes or skin. UVC is highly absorbable by different materials, for example glass and plastic. Also, the flashlight design and an obvious piloting light can ensure the UVC is emitted in the intended direction and easy to spot.
Will the UVC light reflect back to my hand when disinfecting electronic devices?
UVC will be normally absorbed by glass or phone surfaces and negligible reflection can occur.
What materials reflect UVC
Most materials won’t reflect UVC. The common materials that can reflect UVC are e-PTFE, Aluminum and Stainless steel.
REFERENCE
Why is Sterly better than UVC lamps?
For many years, UV mercury lamps were considered to be the best choice. However,these lamps have several limitations including low activity at refrigeration temperatures, fragile construction, long warm-up time, risk of mercury exposure, and limited UV emittance at 254 nm. Sterly uses UV light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) which do not contain toxic mercury, work instantly and emit an optimal UV wavelength of 265nm for disinfection. UVC LEDs are compact, durable and well suited to battery powered operation for point-of-care tools and mobile healthcare equipment.
Is Sterly effective against Covid-19?
Yes, Sterly equipped with a 60mW 265nm UVC LED (KL265-50U-SM-WD) is effective against Covid-19.
According to the studies shown by the UVC LED manufacturer Stanley in collaboration with Yamaguchi University, 5.1mJ/cm2 of 265nm UVC radiation inactivates 99% of Covid-19. Sterly reaches that energy level in 5 seconds at a distance of 5cm or 2seconds at a distance of 3cm.
REFERENCE
