Creating Healthier Spaces with ‘Smarter’ Disinfecting LEDs

Troy, NY (February 25, 2019) – Imagine the lighting in a food processing facility detecting the presence of E. coli, or lighting in a gym detecting MRSA, or lighting in a kitchen detecting salmonella. Then imagine that lighting system safely and effectively targeting and killing those deadly germs.

The promising new frontier of smart technologies optimizing the antibacterial capacity of LEDs will be the focus of a presentation by two experts in the field – Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) Center Director Dr. Robert Karlicek and Vital Vio CEO & Co-Founder Colleen Costello – at the 2019 Strategies in Light 20th Anniversary Conference Thursday, February 28, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Their talk on “Creating Healthier Spaces with ‘Smarter’ Disinfecting LEDs: The Convergence of Continuous Disinfection and IoT/Connected Technologies,” begins at 2:15 pm.

“Microbial contamination is costly and disinfection methods used today are not timely or thorough enough to be viable or long-term prevention solutions. Bio sensors like those developed at the LESA Center used in conjunction with UV light, make detection and prevention of microbial exposure on surfaces or in the air much more efficient and cost-effective. Hence the need for germicidal light that can be delivered in places relatedly exposed to a litany of harmful microbes as part of an affordable lighting System that Thinks™,” says Karlicek.

“Vital Vio has harnessed the power of visible light to provide continuous disinfection. Technological advances are now making it possible to explore how to more effectively use the entire spectrum of light to both detect the presence of germs, and then intelligently dose to further reduce the risk of harmful bacteria including E. coli, MRSA, salmonella, mold and more,” said Costello, a pioneer in continuous disinfection technology.

Vital Vio developed VioSafe® White Light Disinfection® technology, now powering a range of germ-killing lighting solutions on the market. The patented LED technology, used in combination with traditional intermittent cleaning, is proven effective to safely and continuously kill bacteria and other harmful organisms including MRSA, Salmonella, E. coli, C. diff., mold and mildew growing on interior surfaces. Vital Vio has partnered with several leading lighting companies to develop a range of bacteria and mold-killing lighting solutions primarily for domestic retail and commercial markets in the medical, athletics, food service, hospitality, and education sectors, among others.

The Strategies in Light conference, February 27 to March 1st, brings together leaders in the LED and lighting industry with more than 100 industry leaders presenting and 200+ exhibitors.

About Robert F. Karlicek, Jr.

Dr. Robert F. Karlicek, Jr. is the Director of the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an NSF and industry funded program exploring advanced applications for next generation solid state lighting systems.  Prior to joining RPI, he spent over 30 years in industrial research and R&D management positions with corporations including AT&T Bell Labs, EMCORE, General Electric, Gore Photonics, Microsemi, Luminus Devices and SolidUV.  His technical experience includes epitaxial growth of high performance LEDs and lasers, advanced device fabrication and high power LED packaging, thermal management, control systems design and applications research in solid state lighting as well as other novel LED uses such as IR and UV LED applications, wireless communications using lighting (LiFi) and advanced LED display applications.

Dr. Karlicek is well known globally as an LED industry expert, and is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops.  He obtained his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and has over 56 peer reviewed technical papers and 44 U.S. patents. He is the founder and president of SolidUV, Inc., and sits on the technical advisory boards of several high tech startup companies.

About the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA)

Funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the LESA is an interdisciplinary, multi-university center developing “Systems that Think™”. The Center engages faculty members, graduate students, research staff, and undergraduates to work on research leading to intelligent systems with adaptive and controllable properties that will change the way society lives and works. The Center joins academia, industry, and government in partnership to produce transformational engineered systems, along with engineering graduates who are adept at innovation and primed for leadership in the global economy. LESA is headquartered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and partners with Boston University, the University of New Mexico, and Thomas Jefferson University to achieve its objectives. To learn more, go to www.lesa.rpi.edu.

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is America’s first technological research university. For nearly 200 years, Rensselaer has been defining the scientific and technological advances of our world. Rensselaer faculty and alumni represent 85 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 17 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 8 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 8 members of the National Academy of Inventors, and 5 members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, as well as 6 National Medal of Technology winners, 5 National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With 7,000 students and nearly 100,000 living alumni, Rensselaer is addressing the global challenges facing the 21st century—to change lives, to advance society, and to change the world. To learn more, go to www.rpi.edu.