ROBIC APPLAUDS THE GENEROSITY AND INGENUITY OF ITS CLIENTS. HERE IS THE STORY OF LIBU!
WHEN THE SOLUTION IS LITERALLY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, HOPE IS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND!
After more than ten years of research and development work, Raymond Boisvert, a Canadian researcher and head of GRB Technologies, is excited to introduce his innovative Life Button (LIBU) technology, an antimicrobial elevator button that is entering the final stage of testing ahead of its upcoming commercialization.
“The LIBU’s core strength lies in the integration of the best sterilization technology into a compact, modular and safe product, allowing a consumable-free operation at a reasonable cost. Also, the LIBU eliminates more than 99% of the bacterial and viral pathogens that would otherwise occur from contact with users’ fingers on elevator buttons,” indicates Raymond Boisvert of GRB Technologies.
“It’s an invention that aims to break one of the chains of contagion of today’s infectious diseases that are present in places such as hospital and healthcare environments, as well as in public and multi-residential buildings. In a hospital environment, the elevator button has the contaminated surface that contains the most bacteria per square centimeter,” he adds.
Developed entirely in Canada by GRB Technologies, LIBU integrates UVC (ultra-violet C) radiation sterilization technology in a novel way, all within the standard form factor for an elevator. It is a button that pivots upon itself at each use. After each press of the button from a user, the part that has been in contact with the user’s finger is rotated into a decontamination chamber located behind the elevator control panel, whereby UVC radiation is applied to the contacted part to eliminate more than 99% of pathogens.
The effectiveness of LIBU’s technological approach has been demonstrated in the bioaerosols laboratory of the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), in work carried out in 2017 and in 2020. Dr. Caroline Duchaine, Director of the Canada Research Chair on Bioaerosols, notes that tests on the effectiveness of the LIBU buttons in a real-life environment will begin shortly, and will run for the next 12 months, in elevators located at the IUCPQ.
LIBU is nearing commercialization due to the contribution of several Canadian scientists, including physicist André Villemaire and engineer Alexandre Vallières, as well as Optech engineer Martin Langlois. An assembly plant in Québec is planned for completion by 2022. The commercial version of LIBU will be even more effective and will make it possible to reduce the presence of bacteria and viruses by more than 99.99% in just a few seconds.
This innovation has been designed to be integrated into any existing elevator deck. GRB Technologies intends to establish licensing agreements with companies in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. The first contracts are expected to come from hospitals, where the average cost of treating a single nosocomial infection (an infection acquired by a person while at the hospital) is estimated at US$30,000 – a high cost compared to the investment required for the installation of the LIBU antimicrobial buttons in elevators.
The entire ROBIC team congratulates Raymond Boisvert and his team for this great achievement that will surely lead to global health successes.
Discover LIBU at: www.lifebutton.life