Moneycontrol PRO
HomeNewsBusinessOrient Electric enters health appliances space, launches UV sanitiser device

Orient Electric enters health appliances space, launches UV sanitiser device

Orient's UV Sanitech is the first such product by a white goods firm for retail customers in India. The product will be available on Flipkart and Amazon from July 18 at a launch price of Rs 7,999.

July 17, 2020 / 14:32 IST
 
 
live
  • bselive
  • nselive
Volume
Todays L/H
More

Consumer electronics firm Orient Electric has announced its entry into the health appliances space through the launch of UV Sanitech, a box-shaped sanitisation chamber that uses ultraviolet (UVC) light to kill viruses and bacteria.

The company said the product will be able to kill viruses like coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as other bacteria, fungi using UVC in four minutes. This can be used on food items, masks, bags, electronics, currency, wallet and mobile phones among others.

The product, priced at Rs 11,999, will be available on Amazon and Flipkart from July 18. But in an interaction with Moneycontrol, Rakesh Khanna, MD & CEO of Orient Electric said the product will have a special launch price of Rs 7,999.

This is the first such product from a consumer durable firm in India available for retail customers. Currently, products that are available on e-commerce sites are tiny devices mostly for mobile phones. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, research has proven than UVC has the potential to kill this virus.

UVC is short-wavelength ultraviolet rays that use heat to break apart DNA so that the virus is neutralised.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

While a few startups, including those from several Indian Institutes of Technologies (IIT) had developed UVC sanitizer boxes, these products are still only at the prototype stage.

Khanna said Orient Electric conceptualised, designed and launched the product in 60 days. He added the product is made in India and is tested/certified at NABL-accredited lab.

“There is a rise in demand for health and hygiene products amidst COVID-19. Through our UV Sanitech, one can quickly sanitise all the product brought inside the house from outside. Also, if the box is accidentally opened, the device shuts off so that there is no harm caused to skin or eyes,” he added.

Direct exposure to UVC can be harmful to the skin and also damage the eyes. Hence, wherever this light is used, it is done so in a closed enclosure.

“Whatever products are being sold are mostly restricted to mobile phones and the majority are made in China. These neither have any certifications nor safety mechanisms,” he added.

Orient UV Sanitech box has 34 litres capacity and it uses two UVC lamps of 11 watts each placed diagonally providing sufficient UV germicidal irradiation with the surround reflectivity ensuring a uniform spread of the UV irradiation from different angles.

The device is top-loading and has a safety switch which automatically turns off the UV light when the door is open.

M Saraswathy
M Saraswathy
first published: Jul 17, 2020 02:26 pm

Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347