COVID-19 means people are using private cars more than ever, for errands, and to avoid the crowds on more public modes of transportation. Now, a new air filtration system designed by Israeli company Vootto, may change consumer perceptions about the safety of public transportation. Vootto’s air filtration system is 99.9% effective at clearing the air of moving vehicles of all viruses, including COVID-19.
Vootto was already working on their air filtration system for cars and other vehicles when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. As a result, the engineers at Vootto, which takes its name from the Italian word for vacuum (“vuoto”), worked double time to finalize and market this novel air filtration system. The device can be attached to any moving vehicle, for instance buses and cars, and has been proven effective at removing pollutants and viruses from the air.
CEO of Vootto Ron Eyal, speaking to CTech explained the how this novel air filtration system works:
“Vootto is the strongest car air purifier yet, and combines three efforts to combat air pollution: it vacuums and pulls in all the air from the car, replacing all the air in the cabin routinely, some 10 times an hour, which is about every five minutes; it assesses the air through a four-stage filtration system that is able to filter out 99.9% pollutants in the air, (such as pollen, smoke, and chemical gases); it contains an anti-odor material that is composed of a combination of herbs and plants and works to neutralize odors; and our device is also equipped with a scent agent,” he said, noting that scents can be chosen individually by the customer, but clarified that there is a scentless version as well for people who are sensitive to smells.
Vootto’s product works on nearly all viruses and bacteria, and destroys a virus’s membrane and thereby neutralizes it. The company claims that it is effective against filtering out viruses from the air, such as all of the SARS and SARS-COV-2 (Covid-19) families.
Asked to explain how Vootto differs from standard HEPA filtering systems, Eyal said that while HEPA filters can trap viruses to keep them from escaping into the air, the Vootto filter actually destroys the virus. Eyal notes that viruses can escape the filtration system of traditional air purifiers and may then be re-released into the air. The Vootto CEO also mentions that air pollution inside a car may be up to 15 times worse the levels found out of doors. Vootto, he says, “provides a safety net” for those who must ride-share or use public transportation.
Not too shabby for a company employing only 6 people. The startup managed to raise $450,000 for operations through a crowdfunding campaign.
