Scientists develop digital smartphone torch device with ultraviolet light 'capable of killing coronavirus and other germs'

Scientists have created a 'digital sanitiser' which uses a device attached to smartphone's torch to kill bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus. 

The UVLEN device, from the South Korean company of the same name, uses ultraviolet light to rid surfaces of bugs in 10 seconds, according to the Daily Mail.

The portable and lightweight device, which is due to launch "soon" and will cost $25, sticks over the torch light on the back of a smartphone. 

It uses "ultraviolet germicidal irradiation" (UVGI) – a disinfection method that uses a specific type of short-wavelength ultraviolet (far UVC) light – to kill microorganisms.

A thin light diffraction filter converts light from the smartphone torch into far UVC while reflecting other rays of light in the electromagnetic spectrum. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says UV radiation can cause skin and eye damage, while conventional UVC light sources are carcinogenic. 

However, far UVC light, with a wavelength between 207 to 222 nanometers, inactivates microbes without causing harm to exposed skin.