As biotech and medical device companies around the world continue to innovate to combat Covid-19, a Colorado company has raised nearly $1.5 million on a Kickstarter project to develop a new, UV filter mask.
UM Systems, based in Brighton, launched its UV Mask Kickstarter on June 25, debuting an antiviral and anti-pollution face mask with active UV-C air purification. The project quickly surpassed the $1 million mark and is now approaching $1.5 million with nearly 8,000 backers.
"The records we broke within the past few days prove the importance of our mission — developing the next-generation face masks and tools to ensure safety and protection in these uncertain times," Boz Zou, creator of UV Mask, said in a statement.
The key component of UV Mask is its dual sterilization mechanism, combining passive filtration, similar to N95 respirator masks, with a patent-pending active Sterile-Vortex UV-C sterilization.
In combination, they raise the sterilization and purification efficiency level of the UVMask to 99.99%, the company said, which is enough to eliminate any pollutant, bacteria, virus or allergen — 100x smaller than a grain of flour — 10x faster than you breathe.
"We have developed UVMask with the safety of our users in mind, therefore UVMask has been independently tested and certified by the FDA-approved and ISO 17025 accredited SGS Labs," Boz said.
For $99, Kickstarter backers receive one UVMask, 10 replaceable filters and a USB-C charging cable for the batteries that power the UV light. The battery can run for six hours on a continuous charge, the company said.
UM was founded in 2017 with a goal of changing lives with science, and previously operated under the name Measure Inc.
After smashing its initial $20,000 goal, the Kickstarter campaign still has 28 days to go and is quickly becoming one of Colorado's most-backed projects ever.
