Gizmodo Australia » ultraviolet

Piggy Flu Mania Means Vioguard’s Your Best Hope Against H1N1

Jason Chen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:49:27 +0000

The Vioguard keyboard might be the first keyboard to specifically target the swines, using two 25-watt UV lights to kill 99.99% of viruses and bacteria in about 90 seconds.

The bad part is that 0.01% that it doesn’t kill gets to breed and breed and become superbugs — but that’s something for our kids to worry about. You can buy your own Vioguard for $US900 up in Canada’s version of Amazon.com, and if you’re the kind of person in charge of a large number of computers, like a University’s computer lab, you owe it to your users to try and pass this off in the next budget meeting. [Businesswire via Engadget]

Germ-Eliminating Knife Block Sanitises Your Stabbiness

Sean Fallon — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Thanks to the germ eliminating knife block, the next time you stab someone you will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your blade is 99.99% germ-free (we wouldn’t want an infection to set in now would we?). The block relies on UV-C light to eliminate bacteria—and if you are a serious germaphobe it can be set to give your knives a hit once every three hours. If stabbing isn’t your thing, it should do a decent job of eliminating pesky salmonella and staphylococcus from your foodstuffs as well. Available for $US90. [Hammacher Schlemmer via Boing Boing Gadgets]

WaterMill Automagically Pulls Clean Drinking Water from Thin Air

Kit Eaton — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:47:00 +0000

A bit like Dean Kamen’s miraculous water distiller, only not quite so fancy or miraculous, is the WaterMill drinking water collector. It’s basically a clever dehumidifier that collects airborne water and filters and purifies it with an ultraviolet steriliser, providing you with up to 12 litres of water per day. And before you start thinking your home air is going to be all dry and uncomfy, it is actually designed to hang outside your house and inhale water from there, streaming it to where it’s needed inside: like your in-fridge chilled water dispenser. It’s due out February 2009, and though unit pricing’s not known, it’ll cost you about 11 cents per day to run. Or you can just drink tap water. [Product via Geekologie]

Scientists Build Portable Life-Signs Detector: Tricorder 1.0

Gizmodo US Edition — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:15:00 +0000

A team of US and UK scientists have invented a portable scanner that may be useful in the hunt for life on Mars. And it sounds a whole lot like a Star Trek tricorder: it uses a beam of ultraviolet laser light and detects fluorescence from organic molecules, so it works remotely and doesn’t damage samples. Under simulated-Mars conditions, they’ve used it to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (found on comets, thought to be building-blocks of life) in masses as small as 1.5 micrograms. Plus they think the tech could be adapted to be rugged and fitted onto a future Mars rover. Just wait for the handheld version, and for an astronaut to start going “widdlywee…” as they stomp around Mars. [Eurekalert via IO9]

Glow-in-the-Dark Cats Could Make For a Unique Home Lighting Solution

Sean Fallon — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:00:01 +0000

Scientists at the Gyeongsang National University in South Korea have cloned cats that have the ability to glow-in-the dark when exposed to ultraviolet light. By inserting a virus into the skin cells of a mother cat and placing those contaminated cells into the womb, scientists were able to prove that it was possible to clone an animal with a manipulated gene. Apparently, this development could allow for a better understanding of human genetic diseases in the future. But what about the benefits of glowing cats? If you ask me, cats that could truly glow-in-the-dark would make for an unique and styilsh night-light. And, much like the new Litrospheres, they last for about 12 years. The only downside is that the latter requires no power source while cats require a steady diet. Still, the crazy cat lady down the street could have the most power efficient house in town. [InventorSpot]

Spy Pen Writes with Invisible Ink, Illuminates with Ultraviol, Then Shreds Messages

Charlie White — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Ever get caught passing a note in class? Instead of swallowing the evidence, you droogs can just shred that little piece of your personal life, and your privacy will be intact with this ultraviolet spy pen with a message shredder built in. Ultraviolet? Yes, the pen also writes messages with special ink that can only be read with an ultraviolet light, conveniently nestled within this useful $US9 instrument. [Spycatcher, via Oh Gizmo]