While avid travellers around the world eagerly await the lift of global travel bans, we’re chatting with Monos CEO and co-founder Victor Tam about his luggage company’s new hand-held, rechargeable UVC device, the CleanPod, that sanitizes hard surfaces to kill germs and bacteria, and how it aims to make future travel plans feel that much safer. —Vita Daily
Hi Victor! We’re really excited about this new launch from Monos. Can you tell us more about the CleanPod—what it is, how it works, how the idea came about?
At the beginning of this year we, like many other businesses, felt the immediate impact of the global pandemic, so we wanted to pivot to do something to help our communities. We wanted to create a product that still aligned with our brand, but that people would find useful right now—and later on when we can all travel again. We decided on the idea of the CleanPod: a portable UVC sanitizer. It uses ultraviolet C light (UVC) technology to kill germs on the hard surfaces we touch, like door handles or our phones. The CleanPod will be released in a limited run with a portion of the proceeds raising funds for the United Way Centraide Canada’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.
How do you see the practice of travel changing/shifting after this health crisis has lifted? And where does the CleanPod fit into that?
Travellers will be much more conscious of keeping their frequently touched items clean when travelling, like their keys, watches, wallets, phones, etc. The CleanPod is designed to be light and portable, so you can sanitize all these objects while you’re waiting at the gate, seated on the plane, in a taxi or in your hotel room.
Besides travel applications, how else can the CleanPod be used?
We see it as being a staple for any office or home as well. Along with washing your hands, the first thing you should do after arriving at work or at home is to sanitize your phone, keys, keyboard, mouse and any other object you touch a lot.
We know that, functionality aside, design/esthetics is a big part of the Monos ethos; how does that play into the CleanPod?
We wanted the design to be clean, uncluttered and easy to understand—not overly clinical or unapproachable. We believe the products we create should not only be functional, but esthetically pleasing as well, because beautiful objects also contribute to our well-being.
Final, personal question: where’s the first place you’d love to head to when we’re able to travel again?!
I’d love to return to the Algarve coast in Portugal for a reunion with the team we travelled with on our first Monos campaign trip!
Win! A $131 Monos CleanPod!
One lucky Canadian winner will receive a $131 Mons CleanPod! To enter, follow @vitadaily.ca on Instagram and complete the giveaway instructions on our correspondng contest post. Contest opens May 15th, 2020, and closes May 22nd, 2020. Rules and regulations here. Good luck!
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