New Philips product promises instant water disinfection

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

New Philips product promises instant water disinfection

By Ben Coxworth

15:40 November 7, 2011

5 Comments

2 Pictures

InstantTrust is a new product that uses UV light to instantly kill bacteria in drinking water (Photo: Philips)

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There are presently a number of products available that use ultraviolet light to kill microorganisms in drinking water. Many of these are used on the water after it has been dispensed, requiring users to wait before drinking it. Others are fairly large, or require the water to be within a certain temperature range. Philips Lighting, however, has just released a compact UV water disinfection device known as InstantTrust. It is said to kill bacteria instantly, at the point of use, and at any temperature.

While details on exactly how the unit works are slim, Philips states that it could be applied in taps, water pitchers, under-the-sink filters or counter-top systems. It kills water-borne microorganisms in hot or cold water - when treating cold water, it can do so at flow rates of up to approximately four liters (one U.S. gallon) per minute. This means that if it were installed in a tap, for instance, users could simply drink the water right as it came out.

There is presently no word on availability or pricing.

Source: The Verge

About the Author

Ben Coxworth
An experienced freelance writer, videographer and television producer, Ben's interest in all forms of innovation is particularly fanatical when it comes to human-powered transportation, film-making gear, environmentally-friendly technologies and anything that's designed to go underwater. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spends a lot of time going over the handlebars of his mountain bike, hanging out in off-leash parks, and wishing the Pacific Ocean wasn't so far away.

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User Comments (5)

Interesting...I look forward to hearing more about this in the future...and hopefully will ditch my Brita, I'd rather replace a cheap battery then a pricey filter.

Derek Howe - November 7, 2011 @ 06:36 pm PST

It does look very interesting but replacing your Brita with this won't work. The Brita removes chemicals and taste compounds and this kills virus, bacteria, and protozoa - two very different things. I'm betting this is an under sink device that will require plugging into the wall - so no batteries to replace either.

paul.smith - November 8, 2011 @ 08:26 am PST

@derek

If you live in the Western world, you won't need this gadget as your water is already clean.

And if your water is not clean, your 'Brita' will do nothing to fix that. It only filters particulates and chemicals (via a charcoal filter), mostly for esthetic purposes.

Which this device doesn't do, it just kills whatever is in the water using a UV light, much like a SteriPen. It's aimed at places where the tap water is of variable quality and people get sick from it. It's not for esthetic (color/odor/taste) treatment of already clean water....

Chris Maresca - November 8, 2011 @ 08:48 am PST

I bet the bulbs are the expensive and lucrative part. Still, a good advance.

Bawb - November 8, 2011 @ 09:10 am PST

Take it to Mexico with you. Now you CAN drink the water!

emptymag - November 12, 2011 @ 07:28 am PST