Cleanbox Uses UVC Light to Make Headsets, Other Devices Virus Free

The Coronavirus crisis has put the focus on technologies that can help clean equipment that is part of a sports TV production and one of the technologies worth taking a look at is UVC light. One of the companies that has been at the forefront of the development of a system to put it to use for cleaning things like headsets is Cleanbox, based in Carlsbad, CA.

Cleanbox uses UVC light to destroy viruses that may be on a headset in 60 seconds.

Cleanbox Technologies was born out of the day when it appeared that museums and amusement parks would embrace things like VR goggles by the thousands, transforming the experience for visitors. That day didn’t arrive but one of the residual technologies, Cleanbox, has. And its ability to use UVC in LED to decontaminate devices placed inside the box in 60 seconds could prove a powerful weapon for sports production professionals looking to safely redeploy headsets, radios, keyboards, and more.

“We started as risk mitigation for how to deal with millions of people sharing the same headsets,” says Amy Hedrick, Cleanbox, CEO and co-founder. “The hardest part about cleaning a headset is there are multiple surfaces and it has to be cleaned in a way that is effective and user friendly.”

By using UVC in an LED the DNA and RNA strands of a contagion, like the Coronavirus, are deconstructed, rendering them harmless. UVC was originally used in mercury tubes for decontaminating but the move to LED makes the systems safer, gets rid of ozone emission, and lowers the heat.

“The UVC LED is a good way to decontaminate items that have multiple types of surfaces and points of contact,” says Hedrick. “A 60-second cycle can decontamination 99.99% of the object which is why it is often used in operating rooms.”

The Cleanbox comes in three form factors: the CX1 and CX2 which measures 15.5×12.5×12.5-inches; the CX2 which is 24.5-inches wide and handles two headsets; and the CX4 which is inches wide and can hold four headsets. The units can be stacked, and custom configurations are available and items like cellphones, ear buds, keyboards, and even tablets can be cleaned.

The box has 15 UVC lights and the radius of their coverage overlaps so that it can kill contagions more effectively. An internal fan also dries sweat and removes hair, dust, and other particles.

The company also has a hydrophonic nano coating spray that can be applied to soft surfaces and make it so that any moisture or body oils bead up and fall off the surface.

“It won’t be sweaty, and it also keeps the bacteria at the surface,” says Hedrick.