Design and Development of Automated Ultraviolet (UV-C) Based Surface Sterilizer and Disinfection Device for Multipurpose Application, From Prototype to Commercialization

Abstract The global emergence of COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, which became the cause for the loss of millions of lives, innovation of new technologies for sterilization and disinfection of different healthcare utilities became a concern of researchers and industries. Steam sterilization technology is widely used both in developing and industrialized countries. However, various healthcare utilities such as hospital rooms, N-95 masks, the interior part of Ambulances, different sensitive clothes, patient beds & classrooms, medical equipment, and many more cannot undergo disinfection by using steam autoclaves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the main challenges was less availability of technology and resources to disinfect different medical equipment and COVID-19 treatment areas in Ethiopia and other developing countries at large. This paper explores design and development of automated ultraviolet (UV-C) based surface sterilizers and disinfection devices for different applications in healthcare settings. Its affordability, portability, multifunctionality, disinfection quality, essentiality of its use during the pandemic (COVID-19), and smart design approach are among the basic design criteria. A team of researchers from Jimma University and Simbona Africa Healthcare R&D designed a UV-C machine with three models during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two models are quadrilateral in shape, one is bigger and the other is smaller. The bigger one contains 12 UV-C lamps arranged on a circular surface of a hexagonal metal sheet (3 x 4 series-parallel arrangement) whereas the small model contains four UV-C lamps. The third model is a rectangular box size for sterilizing N-95 mask and other smaller tools. Each model provides a different disinfection service. We used AutoCAD 2018 to design the entire mechanical parts of the device and electrical component assembly. Finally, we successfully developed the UV-C machine locally from conceptual design to commercial product in Ethiopia. A team of microbiology experts at Jimma University Medical Center conducted testing and validation of the UV-C machine and achieved more than 90% effectiveness in disinfection quality.