Covid-19: German startup in global demand with anti-virus escalators

Working student Leon Rottmann and Obladen (right) stand at the mechanic's workshop of the Startup UVIS UV-Innovative Solutions in Cologne, western Germany, on April 22, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The Startup UVIS UV-Innovative Solutions of Obladen and Tanja Nickel developed a chemical-free disinfection for the handrails of escalators and surfaces. A module continuously irradiates them with UV light as they pass through. The rays in the UV-C spectrum kill bacteria, moulds and viruses. — AFP

COLOGNE, Germany: Tanja Nickel and Katharina Obladen were still in high school when they patented an idea to disinfect escalator handrails using UV light.

A decade later, their small German startup UVIS can barely keep up with orders from around the world for their coronavirus-killing escalators and coatings for supermarket trolleys and elevator buttons.