Ontario Start-Up Illumenai Shines a Light on COVID-19 Virus Disinfection

    OTTAWA, ON, October 29, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The impact of COVID-19 on workplaces has been astronomical. While many employers can manage with a remote workforce, there are an abundance of industries that have less flexibility and there are certainly essential workers and business critical work that requires being in the workplace. As such, occupational health and safety, cleaning and disinfection standards and virus eradication are at the heart of discussions and decisions around employee health, safety, and confidence in a clean work environment.

Enter Illumenai. The Ottawa based start-up shifted gears this spring to leverage their smart lighting solutions and AI technology to provide an ultraviolet (UV-C) disinfection module to kill viruses, mould, bacteria, germs, allergens, dust mites and insect eggs efficiently.

"When you think about the spaces we use and go to for work, but also where we send our kids, buy our groceries, exercise, get our hair cut, where our parents or grandparents live…the list goes on," describes Alun Davies, Co-Founder of Illumenai. "Having trust that those spaces are taking advanced disinfection precautions definitely alleviates anxiety."

Known for over 100 years, and commonly used in hospitals, UV-C is proven to inactivate 99.99% of Corona virus on a surface in as little as 15 minutes in a typical office environment. It does this by breaking down their DNA and killing the cells, stopping them from growing and multiplying.

Illumenai's UV-C add-on works with their proprietary energy saving lighting system to leverage existing air flow created by fans and ventilation systems so that widespread sanitation can be realized. Additionally, IIllumenai uses AI Analytics to capture space occupancy data so that the use of UV-C is only applied when the space is empty.

"UV-C, which is chemical-free, works in a controlled environment and as part of a holistic cleaning regime," explains Davies. "The use of AI, which sets Illumenai apart, ensures safe usage. Protecting our people, while simultaneously reducing carbon footprint and saving organizations money is at the heart of everything we do," continues Davies. "By looking at how our AI smart-technology platform could be modified to support safer workplace re-entry, we re-imagined the way people work, the places people work and even the way we define the word "clean". Keeping workplaces germ and virus free will pay huge dividends in the health and wellness of employees and will help to eliminate shutdowns."

Illumenai is a Canadian organization based in Ottawa, Ontario. Established in 2017, Illumenai aims to positively impact employees, the environment, and the prosperity of commercial organizations with proprietary smart building technology. Illumenai offers space analytics, lighting, and active disinfection solutions. Visit illumenai.com for more information.

If you would like more information about this topic or to arrange a discussion with our co-founders, please contact Janet Murray, Chief Experience Officer at 613.853.2805, or email [email protected].

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