A groundbreaking range of wearables which uses virus neutralising technology to kill off COVID-19 plus other infectious diseases such as the flu and norovirus has been launched by a UK based company and disguised as everyday wear.
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Akhand Armour says its technology, which it has initially rolled out on a range of face masks, sanitising face mask pocket cases, glasses cases, shopping bags and mobile phone cases, reduces virus transference by neutralising landed infected droplets and removing them from circulation.
Disguised as everyday wear, the wearables have been independently tested and certified at MSL, a UK microbiological testing laboratory, and are the first to achieve an ISO certification for non-medical face masks and wearables.1
Founder Meena Hanspal said: "As soon as infected droplets land on the wearables, which are impregnated with a virus destroying tech, the outer wall of the coronavirus is destroyed, rendering it useless. Killing it off means it cannot infect and cannot mutate, so not only do we mitigate contact-based transmission, we mitigate the likelihood of variants developing."
The wearable technology effectively acts as a self-sanitising eco-system, continuously neutralising infected droplets as they land.
Hanspal added: "This means that users are what we call ‘human virus neutralisers’, moving through the community. There will be strength in numbers — the more people using the tech, the greater the community-shielding effect."
The new wearables arrive just as the UK starts to fully open up after spending most of the past 18 months in some form of lockdown.
Akhand Armour, which terms the new technology 'Adaptive Non-Medical PPE', says that virus-neutralising technology has been around for decades and is "well tested, robust tech" which has been repurposed to help reduce community transmission.
Hanspal added: "I realised at the height of the pandemic that expertise here in the UK was being underutilised — it’s as though the information needed by the public to better protect themselves was being withheld from them. We’ve now democratised PPE, opening it up for the general public.”
Dr David Greensmith, one of Akhand’s scientific advisors and Programme Leader for Infectious Diseases at the University of Salford, said that traditional face coverings could become contagious surfaces by collecting microbes through use.
He added: "A covering which is designed to prevent transmission may, after time, facilitate it.”
A face covering augmented in the way Akhand Armour has developed can ultimately reduce the likelihood of microbe spread between individuals… and effectively contribute to a respective reduction in R value."
Hanspal added: "This is especially true when the virus is airborne. With mixed messaging around masks throughout the pandemic, the public were being ‘penalised’ for seemingly not knowing how to wear masks properly — but this is an unfair interpretation of what’s really happening out there.”
“Expecting the general public to wear masks in the same way as one would in medical settings is an almost impossible ask. In the real world, people find themselves having to re-use the same mask multiple times a day. It’s usually stuffed in a pocket and re-worn while rushing about living busy lives”.
“We take the stress out of masking,” says Hanspal. “We’ve engineered wearables fit for ‘Covid World’. We disguise it as everyday wear, make it easy to use, while at the same time make sure it works by self-sanitising on the fly. We make it easy for the user and easy for the people around the user."
The T4 Quad-lock Transformer Face Mask uses two different virus destruction technologies to self-protect while the sanitising face mask pocket case also continues to destroy virus on both the mask and in the user’s pocket between uses.
Remaining active for the life of the textile, the wearables are much more sustainable than disposable face masks, with each T4 Quad-lock mask saving upwards of 400 disposable masks per person.
Akhand Armour has also developed scarf-mask hybrids (called a Scarsk) for people who do not like wearing masks.
"Even when restrictions are removed, many people will be hesitant about potential risk since COVID numbers are rising steeply," said Hanspal.
"Using an anti-viral wearable when you go out will dramatically reduce those risks, helping to neutralise the virus within the community.”
All of the products have been engineered to be diversity friendly, with ‘2nd Skin Form Fit’ accommodating multiple face shapes, hats, turbans, beards, headwear and hearing aids.
Having been tested to 50 washes Akhand says “there are no shortcuts — not only have we ensured the tech is well tested, we have gone above and beyond what is normally expected. They start working immediately providing a transmission intervention — all you’ve got to do is pull it out of the bag”.
“We remove the panic. The tools work with you to continue to neutralise infected droplets in the background so you can get on with whatever you’re doing. We’re like your virus reducing partner — we support your journey instead of interfering with it — we can help people to start socialising more freely”.
Note
1. Tested and certified in the UK by MSL microbiological labs based in Bury against ISO 18184:2019 Textiles.