If you've ever felt like pampering your eyeglasses but never knew how, this one may be for you. Swiss startup Cliris SA has taken to Kickstarter to fund the development of Cliris, a sleek-looking, automatic eyewear cleaner that uses ultrasound technology and a biodegradable solution to clean, disinfect, anti-fog treat, dry and (optionally) scent your spectacles in only four minutes.
After plugging the device into the nearest wall socket, you'll simply need to fold up your glasses and place them inside the device via a pop out drawer. As you turn on the power, the Cliris tank fills up with cleaning liquid and starts working. According to the company, Cliris requires only 40 W of power and is "about as quiet as an espresso machine" – whatever that means.
The cleaning process uses a combination of ultrasonic technology and Cliriense, the company's own biodegradable cleaning fluid. The fluid comes packed in cartridges which fit, two at a time, into the back of the device. Each cartridge is said to last for about 30 cleaning cycles, or one month of daily usage assuming one cleaning cycle per day.
A convenient LED light will alert you as soon as cartridges need to be replaced. The process of replacing a cartridge is reported quick and easy; moreover, because the cleaning solution they contain is eco-friendly, used fluid can be simply flushed into the sink.
You can clean any sort of glasses, including sunglasses and sports glasses, as long as they measure a maximum of 2 x 5.9 in (5 x 15 cm) when folded, and they aren't made out of some exotic materials not compatible with ultrasonic treatment.
The company says it has already produced several functioning prototypes, and is now looking for funding for both scaling up and further reducing the four-minute cleaning time.
You can get your own Cliris device (in black or white) by contributing US$269 to the Kickstarter campaign. The pledge includes two cartridges for about two months of daily usage (cartridges are approximately $25 each). Assuming it raises its target of $280,000 by July 22, the company expects to make its first deliveries in April 2015. The design is patent-pending, and the device comes with a 2-year warranty.
The video below shows the Cliris in action.
Sources: Cliris, Kickstarter
