The Urban Sun is a Prototype Coronavirus Eliminator

The fundamentals of a great daily life combine two things: cleanliness and beauty. At least, that’s what Rotterdam-based social design lab Studio Roosegaarde revolves its practice around. For years, the studio has been vigorously researching ways on how light can be an effective fighter against all kinds of viruses. According to research, ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 222nm is capable of reducing viruses (including the different strains of coronavirus and influenza) by a staggering amount.  

This 2021, the studio unveiled a new ultraviolet light called Urban Sun, a UVC light that provenly eliminates 99.9% of the Coronavirus. The impressive piece was developed by the Roosegaarde team alongside external experts and scientists from as far as the Netherlands, Japan, the U.S., and Italy. Research with these experts beautifully combined design and science to craft a solution to the pandemic’s lockdown effects. 

Though Urban Sun is still in its development phase, a working prototype already shines its light on the public spaces of Rotterdam, making public gatherings a lot safer. It emits a yellow light that defines the edge of the circle created by Urban Sun, quite reminiscent of a beautiful solar eclipse. The color was also chosen as such not just for its sun-inspired aesthetics, but also because of the human eyes’ inability to detect UV light. Currently, Urban Sun is intended only for night use and is still undergoing experimentation to see how well it adapts in other environments. Nevertheless, it is an innovative creation that shines a pure light in the darkest of times.