Portable sterilizer with microbe content detection device

Area of Science:

• Microbiology and Public Health
• Biomedical Engineering
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Infectious diseases, exemplified by the COVID pandemic, pose significant threats due to rapid transmission and high mortality rates.
• Microorganisms like bacteria and viruses can persist on surfaces, facilitating indirect transmission through contact.
• Effective surface cleaning and sterilization are crucial strategies for mitigating the spread of contagious diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a portable sterilization unit capable of efficiently cleaning surfaces of daily-use items.
• To develop a method for assessing the efficacy of the sterilization process.
• To create a tool for reducing microbial contamination in various environments.

Main Methods:

• A portable sterilization chamber utilizing ultraviolet radiation for microbial inactivation was designed.
• A microbe content detector, employing time-lapse laser speckle imaging and image processing algorithms, was integrated.
• The system was developed to accommodate various daily-use items for comprehensive sterilization.

Main Results:

• The proposed unit effectively cleans surfaces of microbes using ultraviolet radiation.
• The microbe content detector provides an assessment of sterilization success by analyzing image data.
• The system allows users to determine if additional sterilization cycles are necessary.

Conclusions:

• Integrating a microbe content detection device with sterilization enhances the assessment of effectiveness.
• This novel approach offers a comprehensive sterilization solution for diverse everyday items.
• The developed technology is suitable for widespread application in communities, offices, and public spaces to combat infectious disease transmission.