Kobe University Hospital has teamed up with air-conditioner company Soda Kogyo to develop a new device to prevent coronavirus infections.
Eight of the new cleaning devices have been installed in the Emergency and Critical Care Center and outpatient clinics for PCR testing at Kobe University Hospital, among other facilities.
The device does not cover a patient's head. Instead it only needs to be placed next to a bed or examination table. The device is equipped with a high-performance filter used in air and vacuum cleaners that can draw in 4,000 liters of air per minute. As a result, it is able to filter airborne droplets and aerosols.
The development of the cleaning device started when pathology specialist Prof. Tomoo Ito of Kobe University noticed the cleaning technology being used in Tech Plaza Higashiosaka, in Osaka Prefecture. The Tech Plaza connected Ito to Soda Kogyo, which had been working on clean rooms for semiconductor manufacturing. The two collaborated and now the development of the cleaning device is ready to be used in hospitals.
"The problem is how to protect medical workers from asymptomatic infected patients. This device can also be applied to influenza and other diseases. It is expected to lead to peace of mind for medical personnel," Ito said.
The device measures 1.25 meters tall, 45 centimeters wide and 24 centimeters deep. Units will be sold for several hundred thousand yen each.
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