Juganu Introduces J.Protect: A Circadian Lighting System that Inactivates SARS-CoV-2

Juganu officially launched its circadian lighting system, J.Protect. The system uses a combination of high-quality surface light mixed with ultraviolet A (UV-A), as well as ultraviolet C (UV-C) light to inactivate bacteria and viruses – including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The system can be installed in a variety of public places, including hotels, hospitals and health facilities, retail stores, banks, restaurants, airports, gyms, schools, and office spaces.

“Smart lighting will be one of the biggest areas of opportunity for physical spaces. We are evolving from lights simply illuminating spaces to disinfecting and securing them, as well as promoting well-being by recreating natural light shifts based on sunrise and sunset,” said Eran Ben-Shmuel, CEO and Cofounder of Juganu. “With J.Protect, we hope to be the light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID era.”

The power of UV-C lighting to inactivate viruses and bacteria has already been explored extensively within the hospitality industry in light of COVID-19. From robots to a walk-through sanitizer to self-disinfecting point of sale products to an elevator air filtration system to an escalator handrail sterilization system, the industry has come up with a number of ingenious ways to use UV-C lighting.

In an interview with Hospitality Technology magazine, Ben-Shmuel explained what made his solution different. Juganu’s lighting solution’s concentration of UV-A light is 90% below the maximum limits set by the IEC  photobiological standard. Additionally, the combination of the UV-A and UV-C lighting means that this solution is able to inactivate bacteria and viruses 70% faster than using UV-C light alone to disinfect a room.

“By continuously hitting viruses and bacteria with UV-A light, you put them on the defense,” Ben-Shmuel explained. “Then when they are hit by the UV-C light, they die much faster. This was proven by a study conducted by Dr. Gal Tanamy at the Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Medicine. Juganu has successfully completed a pilot in Israel’s Rabin Medical Center and has established strategic partnerships with Comcast, Qualcomm, NCR Corporation, and others to deploy the J.Protect solution.”

He also contends that having this type of lighting installed in the ceiling is more effective than using a robot to “flash” the room. Why?

“UV-C and UV-A are light waves,” he explains. “If you want to disinfect the room in the perfect way you need to illuminate the room perfectly. Would you prefer a solution that provides light from the ceiling or from a robot on the floor?”

Additionally, with the CDC and other organizations now saying that the virus spreads via aerosols in the air and can – potentially – remain in the air for some time after a person has left a specific space, volumetric cleaning – not just surface cleaning – is important as well. Juganu’s solution cleans the air in addition to surfaces and does so constantly, Ben-Shmuel adds.

“This coronavirus is not the last virus we will have to deal with,” Ben-Shmuel says. “There will be other viruses that come after it. We need to recognize that and act now to be better prepared for what is likely coming.”

Features:

• The system can be installed without rewiring or structural changes and is operated with an intuitive ‘plug and play’ interface that users can operate via a mobile application.

• Venues install J.Protect’s overhead luminaire for indoor public spaces, delivering high-quality, natural lighting that mimics the effect of natural light, offering “sunrise to sunset” transitions. 

• The system maximizes the uniformity and effectiveness of indoor space illumination and protectiveness by providing the best possible space coverage, even reaching walls and shadowed areas. 

Here’s how it works:

• J.Protect blends various colors from across the visible spectrum and UV-A to inactivate bacteria and viruses. The two disinfection modes are: 
  Allegro: A continuous mode that uses the safest part of the light spectrum range, making its light effective without duration limitation and safe while people are present.Presto: With the addition of UV-C, an accelerated mode that disinfects an area within minutes once cleared of people, providing maximum efficiency across the germicidal spectrum. 
• Using different combinations of Allegro and Presto together allows the system to disinfect spaces in a time period that ranges from a matter of a few minutes to several hours.