Energy Focus, Inc., a provider of sustainable LED lighting and human-centric lighting (HCL) technologies, launched a portfolio of germicidal UV-C Disinfection (UVCD) products. They are formulated with patent-pending technologies designed to destroy 99.9+%* of pathogens such as influenza and coronaviruses (e.g., SARS and SARS-CoV-2), in the air or on surfaces to improve indoor hygiene and sanitation.
The three initial products—nUVo™, abUV™, and mUVe™—integrate LED lighting, UV lighting, electronics, software, sensors, cloud, and AI technologies, complementing each other to meet the needs of air and surface disinfection for commercial, industrial, and residential indoor environments.
In addition to being ozone-free, the products are designed to guard against the risks of direct human exposure to UV-C rays. abUV and nUVo include enclosed, self-contained UV-C disinfection units that continuously inactivate viruses while reducing overall pathogen levels in the air. mUVe incorporates advanced sensor, machine vision, and autonomous technologies to avoid human exposure during disinfection operations.
The core germicidal far ultraviolet (UV-C) lighting spectrum used in these products, at 254 nanometers (nm) wavelength, has been scientifically proven to be effective for inactivating pathogens by breaking the DNA and RNA bonds in cells of certain bacteria, fungi, mold, and viruses, making them incapable of duplicating. Other longer wavelength UV spectrums, such as UV-A and UV-B, are unable to directly inactivate viruses. And unlike other disinfectants that are composed of harmful chemicals, UV-C disinfection produces no harmful byproducts or environmental waste.
Patent-pending nUVo is a portable and continuous UV-C Air Disinfection Tower for homes and offices. Many air purifiers target specific breathing or allergy issues, requiring frequent filter changes while lacking sufficient UV-C or air circulation power. With an enclosed UV-C chamber shielded from direct human exposure, nUVo can achieve four air changes per hour (4 ACH) in a 200-square-foot room. nUVo also does not need filter changes, and the replaceable UV-C lighting module lasts more than 10,000 hours (or over two years if used 12 hours per day on average).
The abUV Integrated LED lighting and UV-C Air Disinfection Troffer Powered by the EnFocus™ Lighting Control Platform is for current and post-pandemic public spaces where 2×2 and 2×4 fluorescent or LED fixtures are the predominant form factor for lighting—be it in hospitals, schools, offices, retail stores, or public assemblies. It features a built-in fan that draws, disinfects, and circulates the air in the room at approximately two air changes per hour (ACH) in a 200-square-foot space. The abUV troffer system leverages Energy Focus’ patent-pending EnFocus lighting control platform that enables simple replacement of existing fluorescent or LED fixtures and wall switches to immediately provide facilities continuous air disinfection alongside LED lighting—flicker-free, dimming, and color tunable.
The patent-pending mUVe Autonomous Surface and Floor Disinfection Robot is designed for chemical-free disinfection with 99.99%+ effectiveness against pathogens that are within a range of 3.3′ of the unit. Moving at a speed of 18″ per second with the ability to cover approximately 10,000 square feet of space per hour, the robot is capable of reducing pathogens on surfaces—walls, furniture, equipment, etc.—in its line of sight with a concentrated beam of UV-C light directed by a proprietary parabolic reflector, as well as on floors disinfected by another UV-C lamp on the bottom of the robot.
“We are extremely pleased and proud to launch this groundbreaking portfolio of UVC disinfection products as a comprehensive solution to help elevate hygiene and sanitation levels of buildings and homes. As the world faces the near universal presence of coronavirus today and recognizes the clear risks of other pathogens and pandemics in the future, indoor environmental safety has become an unprecedented priority and will outlive the current pandemic. We believe that these latest UVCD products—as part of our Human-Centric Lighting portfolio—can provide powerful, affordable, and immediate solutions to help people return to common spaces for optimal social interactions and economic activities,” said James Tu, Chairman and CEO of Energy Focus.
“We are equally proud of and grateful for the ingenious, diligent, and collaborative work from our engineering and product development teams as well as our global technology and supply chain partners. Members of our whole product development ecosystem were able to pivot and cross pollinate seamlessly and tirelessly during the pandemic to invent, design, prototype, and complete the development of these impactful products in an extremely timely manner. Now we look forward to rapidly and vastly expanding the reach of these UVCD solutions through our growing list of channel partners to meet the heightened and urgent disinfection needs of building owners and operators, as well as residential consumers.”
The nUVo, abUV, and mUVe germicidal UV-C Disinfection products are currently available for pre-order, with deliveries expected to start during the first quarter of 2021.
*Energy Focus’ UVCD utilizes UV-C light source with 254 nm wavelength that has proven to be effective in inactivating viruses such as coronavirus under certain conditions. Specifications are subject to change and final products are subject to third party verification by independent labs. The Energy Focus nUVo™, abUV™, and mUVe™ UVCD solutions are not intended to be used as medical devices and are not registered as medical devices under any applicable laws.