A group of corps members serving in Akwa Ibom State have built an automated disinfection chamber that is able to sanitise the whole body against coronavirus infection in three seconds.
The corps members, led by Mr Adetifa Omoyemi and Mr Okoye Chisom, who presented their work to the NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Julius Amusan, said the chamber was the idea of corps members who are engineers and scientists.
Omoyemi, an Electrical Electronics Engineering graduate from Ekiti State University, explained that the automated disinfection chamber operates with electricity and can function as long as there is power supply.
He said the materials used for the construction of the disinfection chamber were in line with the requirements of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
“I studied Electrical Electronics Engineering. I have passion for building electronic stuffs. We saw the idea and we came up with our different teams.
“We have four groups of engineering; some work with electrical megatronic and I’m good with electronics and program hardware. We came together and worked together, so it’s not just one team.
“The only issue could be power failure, but when there is no power failure or damage on this chamber, it can last long,” he said.
The lead scientist, who supervised the solution used for the disinfection, Mr Okoye Chisom, said an approved disinfectant made up of sodium hypochloride was utilised.
He said the disinfectant would not damage the skin as only the approved percentage was used, adding that it worked through the whole body unlike the hand sanitiser which is specifically for hands.
The graduate of Biochemistry from Nnamdi Azikiwe University noted that the disinfectant works within five minutes of coming in contact with an infected person or material.
“We used EPA approved disinfectant which one of them is sodium hypochloride, but with an approved percentage so that it will not irritate the body as well as do the work of disinfection.
“We also added little disinfectant property as ingredients to support the efficacy and make it to be more effective. As we can see, once it releases the spray and the disinfectant lands on your body, it has a maximum of five minutes contact and it starts doing the job.
“This has to go through your body, while hand sanitisers only sanitise your hands. As you are turning 360 degrees, it touches your hand bag, clothes and any other thing that may have come in contact with the virus,” he said.
The NYSC State Coordinator, Mr Julius Amusan, commended the efforts of the team, saying it was their own contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amusan who noted that the disinfection chamber will be useful to corporate organisations, called on other youths to emulate the corps members so as to bring out their potentials to enhance the development of the country.
