If you’ve ever been to a videogame event that’s been demonstrating virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) you may have wondered about the hygiene side of so many people using these devices. Generally exhibitors utilise cleansing wipes, tissues, or paper face masks as a way to keep the headsets clean from dirt, sweat and other nasties that could be transferred from one person to another. Now Milos Paripovic, a designer, artist and technology enthusiast, has come up with another solution, the VR Sanitizer.
Everyone’s faces carry bacteria of some sort, some of which are harmless, while others can cause infections. These can range from cold sores, pink eye or conjunctivitis, strep throat, and rashes, all the way up to Staphylococcal skin infection, or even influenza and meningitis. With VR Sanitzer, Paripovic aims to target bacteria by utilizing UV-C light to sanitize HMDs.
The process is called known as germicidal irradiation, with the wall mountable unit firing a wavelength of 254nm at the face cushion to kill or inactivate microorganisms. VR Sanitizer also comes with a built-in fan to dry out devices if the user has created a lot of moisture in the HMD.
As you can see in the above GIF, users simply place their headset on the VR Sanitizer then after several seconds the process is completed, with the unit automatically turning off. Another neat benefit is that it can be used as a wall mounted headset holder.
Currently looking for funding through Kickstarter, Paripovic wants to raise $40,000 USD. Funding tiers begin at $70, offering an early bird discount for VR Sanitizer, with designs to fit either Oculus Rift or HTC Vive HMDs. After the early bird tiers have sold out the standard price will be $85, and Paripovic hopes to begin delivery in July 2017.
VRFocus will follow the progress of VR Sanitizer’s Kickstarter, reporting back with further updates.