Dutch Artist Installs Artificial Sun With Ultraviolet Light on Public Spaces; Will It "Clean" Coronavirus?

The Dutch artist has unveiled an artwork called Urban Sun that uses UV light to destroy the virus that triggers COVID-19 in public spaces.

Daan Roosegaarde's concept made its debut in a public square near the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam on March 2. People could see it at Expo 2020 Dubai. Urban Sun is based on research that suggests that light with a wavelength of 222 nanometres will kill 99.9% of coronaviruses.

What Made The Dutch Artist Create Urban Sun?

Luxury Launches said the Dutch designer and contemporary artist began with the awareness that anything as insignificant as a virus had such a large effect on our lives.

The studio referred to its innovation on multiple peer-reviewed journal papers written by scientists from Columbia University and Hiroshima University.

Studies titled "Far-UVC Light Safely Kills Airborne Coronaviruses" and "Effectiveness of 222-NM Ultraviolet Light on Disinfecting Sars-Cov-2 Surface Contamination" discovered that a certain wavelength of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation could destroy coronavirus airborne droplets.

"Studies have shown that traditional 254 nm UV light is harmful, but new far-ultraviolet C light with a wavelength of 222 nanometers can actually safely disinfect viruses," said the studio.

Roosegaarde believes that, depending on factors such as height, the lamp will sanitize the cone of air underneath it in as little as two minutes. It can also make any area 99.9% virus-free, depending on the weather and location, and is suitable for use in places like train stations, schools, and public squares.

When Roosegaarde learned about unique UV light frequencies that can inactivate viral transmissions in the air (without causing harm to humans), he formed a team of scientists and designers. The National News said the team studied how they could better monitor the spread of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

ALSO READ: UVMask Successfully Inactivates 96% of H1N1 Particles In Just 0.08 Seconds!

Views of the urban sunshine are available on StudioRoosegaarde.net, created to make public meetings possible for the first time since Covid-19 became a global outbreak.

Reuters said Roosegaarde plans to add the lights at festivals this summer as COVID-19 limitations relax. However, he stressed that the lights are not a substitute for a vaccine or government regulations. The coronavirus was checked on the actors participating in the production before shooting, and they were only exposed to the sun for a few minutes at a time.

UV-C radiation can be effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2. This virus causes COVID-19, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Other Projects

Roosegaarde will show eight "dreamscapes" between now and 2022, with Urban Sun being one of them.

An obsession with light can be seen in many of the artist's works. His Smog-Free Project used positive ionization technologies to combat air pollution using a seven-meter-tall vacuum cleaner. Air-cleaning motorcycles and billboards, as well as a smog-free engagement or wedding ring made of compressed air crystals, were among the companion prototypes.

The solar-powered neon Van Gogh Bicycle Path, which was made up of thousands of twinkling blocks, was part of a project to create immersive, sustainable roads that respond to real-time traffic situations.