Gino: from concept to launch

• Autor(a) principal: Sequeira, Catarina Bonnet
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/113180
• topic: SARS-CoV-2; Indoor spaces; Gino; Air sanitiser; Destroy viruses; Launching; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia Química

We are living distinctive times. With no warning, we were invaded by a virus that has proven to be harmful and can spread faster than initially predicted. There was a need for quick solutions to keep people safer and to decrease the SARS-CoV-2 spreading rate. There is evidence that when people are outdoors and keep adequate distance between them, SARS-CoV-2 transmission is reduced. However, people spend the vast majority of their time indoors. The time spent indoors, has significantly increased during the last months due to national restrictions and is expected to increase even further as the cold season arrives. It has been proven that there is higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 spreading in indoor spaces. Smart Separations Ltd is an award-winning company that is committed to improve quality of life through innovation. It has created a brand-new generation of antimicrobial coatings and porous ceramic membranes. ViraTeq™ technology has been proven to destroy viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and many other microorganisms and can be applied to multiple surfaces where there is the need to prevent microbe spreading. The ceramic membranes are customisable and are used in the particle filtration/clarification field, in the microfiltration field, as a catalyst support, and in various specialist applications. As a direct response to the current pandemic, Smart Separations has created Gino, a personal air sanitiser that can reduce the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in the air. Gino uses a ceramic long lasting filter, coated with ViraTeq™, and is ideal for one-to one interactions as it draws in harmful air and releases microbe-free air from the bottom of the device. This thesis focuses on the concept, development and launching of Gino. It will cover the tests results, the coating application, the testing of the fan, the manufacturing steps of the final product and the marketing strategy. Gino was launched on July 7th, 2020 and has already sold more than 500 devices on Kickstarter. The manufacturing is currently taking place in Portugal and further efficacy tests are being carried out. This thesis was paramount in achieving such fast turnaround of a newly developed device, while most people were under lockdown in their cities.