IIT Guwahati Students Build Pen Drive-sized Device that can Disinfect Objects

Two IIT Guwahati students have claimed to have invented a device that can disinfect objects. ‘UV-Astra’, a nano ultraviolet device, can get rid of viruses and bacteria and sanitize surfaces in as little as three seconds, insisted Anant Mittal and Shubham Yennawar, who created the device. The two are civil engineering students with the institute.

The IIT Guwahati students, who have applied for a patent, said that UV-Astra will be the best affordable personal protection against coronavirus.

Earlier, IIT Guwahati had developed kits that could be used to transport coronavirus tests.

The device can also be used to disinfect Personal Protection Equipment for reuse. It uses a low-power UV light- which is known to disinfect properties- that does not harm human beings. The device is pocket-sized and fit for personal use. With a sterilization rate of 99.9 percent, UV-Astra has a service life of 5,000 hours and can be powered by mobile phones.

It took the two students several weeks to come up with the module for the device, which is three centimetres in length and weighs less than 10 grams. The challenge was to make UV sterilization usable and affordable. After many trials, the team came up with a pen drive-sized device with a hard metal case that could protect the module.

“UV Astra is set to become the new normal. It is an all-time protection device. Now no one needs to worry about touching surfaces when he or she steps out,” Mittal said. 

Earlier, Racerfly, a tech startup run by Mittal, had developed a drone that could sanitize large areas in a quarter of an hour.