TOMSK, Jan 11 – RIA Tomsk. The Tomsk company COLT has developed a device for disinfecting premises using laser radiation, capable of killing the coronavirus that causes COVID-19; unlike popular recirculators, the laser unit is capable of disinfecting not only the air, but also surfaces in rooms, the press service of COLT reports.
Earlier it was reported that in 2018, scientists of the Research School of High-Energy Physics of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) developed an economical laser capable of smoothly tuning the wavelength of its radiation in the entire visible range. Smooth tuning of the radiation wavelength is in demand today in laser microscopy and other medical fields.
"The COLT company has developed a laser technology to fight against COVID-19. It is based on broadband laser radiation. The new technology allows to destroy viruses not only in the air (as opposed to classical recirculators), but also on the surface, which is the main risk area of potential infection", - is said in the message.
According to the developers, the technology originally proposed by TPU scientists has a number of advantages. In classic mercury air recirculators, the radiation has a wavelength of 254 nanometers. The innovative laser device from COLT allows to obtain a wide range of wavelengths from 200 to 320 nanometers, which increases the effectiveness of the fight against pathogenic microbes and viruses dozens of times.
"However, the most important difference is the processing speed. The processing cycle time for a room of 20 square meters is less than 50 seconds, while the classic recirculators of the previous generation will need about an hour to process only the volume of air. In this case, the surface will have to be processed separately", - emphasize the developers.Among other things, the device is equipped with motion sensors, and if it is noticed in the antiviral treatment area, the device will temporarily stop working until the person or animal leaves the disinfection area, says the message.
The developers' immediate plans include robotization of the device, as well as the manufacture of a portable sample that can disinfect local zones or individual surfaces.
According to the SPARK-Interfax analytical system, the COLT (Center for Optical and Laser Technologies) company was registered in Tomsk in 2016. The general director and co-owner of the company is Pavel Milkevich, the main beneficiary is Nikolai Alekseev, who also owns Fotom LLC (undergoing liquidation). The company's revenue for 2019 amounted to 67,2 million rubles, net profit is 13,6 million rubles.