A professor at Waterloo Engineering will lead testing and development of a prototype of a machine to disinfect personal protective equipment (PPE) that was donated this week by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC).
The machine was developed by engineers at Toyota, in partnership with two local companies, after its plant operations were suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Toyota donated this prototype of a machine to disinfect PPE to the University.
By the time it was ready to go into mass production, however, the Cambridge-based company had reopened its plants with effective infection control processes and no longer needed the machines.
As a result, the longtime supporter of the University of Waterloo instead donated the PPE disinfection prototype to researchers in chemical engineering and health services this week.
“The initial testing will help identify potential opportunities for modifications or improvements,” Bill Anderson, the professor who will lead the project, said in an announcement.
The machine features a reflective chamber and uses ultraviolet C (UVC) light to deactivate the virus on masks, shields, gloves and other PPE used by healthcare workers.
“Developing new, effective ways to sterilize PPE is one way to control the spread of COVID-19, and we look forward to continuing the development of TMMC’s prototype,” said Dr. Clark Baldwin, medical director of the University.
“It looks like the application of this UV treatment for sterilization purposes is going to be quite safe, no residuals, no chemicals, but that it will be very effective in killing the coronavirus.”
The donation continues Toyota’s history of support for Waterloo, including a $2.1-million investment last year to launch the Toyota Engineering Innovation Challenge.
Waterloo, in turn, is a major source of co-op students and full-time engineers for the company.