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Launch of Germ Genie to kill keyboard germs

Date:
October 4, 2010
Source:
University of Hertfordshire
Summary:
Scientists in the UK have helped prove the effectiveness of Germ Genie, a tool to prevent infections from keyboards.
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Scientists at the University of Hertfordshire helped to prove the effectiveness of Germ Genie, a tool to prevent infections from keyboards, which will be launched next week.

Germ Genie, which was developed by Falcon Innovations and tested at the University of Hertfordshire's Biodet laboratory, will be introduced at the Total Workplace Management show on 6-7 October and the Hospital Infection Society Conference in Liverpool on 11-13 October.

The results of the University of Hertfordshire's tests on E.Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus and Bacillus Subtillis, reveal that Germ Genie kills ninety-nine percent of germs across most of the keyboard in just two minutes, and across the whole keyboard in ten minutes.

The Genie works by sensing finger movement on the computer keyboard, and after the user has finished it sanitises the keyboard with UV light. This treatment leaves the keyboard ready for the next user so they will not pick up microbes that would otherwise have posed a risk of passing on infections like Flu, MRSA and E.Coli. Unlike other solutions, it will sanitise the keyboard many times each day, at exactly the times it is needed -- after each user.

Richard Smith, Director of Biodet said: "We were given a Germ Genie and we did the testing to show that it worked. The science of UV light being anti-microbial is well established, but the Germ Genie had not been tested thoroughly to show that it worked on computer keyboards."

James Louttit, Managing Director of Falcon Innovations said: "We were very pleased to work with the University of Hertfordshire. They have been very responsive in answering the question "does Germ Genie work?" and bringing a scientific rigour to the testing. We expected the results to be good, but it is invaluable to us to be able to demonstrate a ninety-nine percent kill across the keyboard. The University of Hertfordshire has really lived up to their reputation as a business friendly institution, and as a start-up entrepreneur, I have been very pleasantly surprised at what can be achieved when academic institutions work with business."

For more information, see: http://www.falconinnovations.co.uk/contents/index/?p=m


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Hertfordshire. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

University of Hertfordshire. "Launch of Germ Genie to kill keyboard germs." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 October 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101003082311.htm>.
University of Hertfordshire. (2010, October 4). Launch of Germ Genie to kill keyboard germs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 5, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101003082311.htm
University of Hertfordshire. "Launch of Germ Genie to kill keyboard germs." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101003082311.htm (accessed October 5, 2024).

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