Each year 1.7 million Americans contract a hospital-based infection resulting in illness, thousands of deaths, and billions of dollars in treatment costs. An increasing number of the infecting organisms are resistant to cleaning chemicals, while other organisms persist because cleaning chemicals are not used correctly or thoroughly.
In response to this problem, Infection Prevention Technologies created the IRiS Whole Room UVC Treatment System. The IRiS system’s UVC module emits short-wave ultraviolet radiation that destroys the bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that lead to infection. Human exposure to UVC radiation is not recommended, so the system also includes an Android-based remote control that starts, monitors, and stops the room treatment. Daedalus was asked to help improve the reliability of the system. To ensure success, both hardware and software were reviewed to identify opportunities for improvement. Our engineers recommended several system changes. Most important was the addition of a WiFi access point that simplified and improved communication between the unit and its remote control. A new PCB was developed that met stringent space, power, and cost targets. This PCB allowed for an easy interface to the unit for testing, configuration, and operation, and could be used for field retrofits. Meanwhile, our software engineers improved the reliability and maintainability of the embedded firmware on the main control board of the unit and the Android software of the accompanying handheld remote control. The improved system has been deployed in hospitals across the country where it has proven to be an order of magnitude more reliable than the system it replaces.