Less than a month after receiving FDA approval for its self-sanitizing keyboard, Vioguard today announced an agreement with Hewlett-Packard to market and sell the device through its HP’s healthcare technology group.
The keyboard from the Kirkland-based startup can be retracted automatically into an enclosure to be bathed in germicidal ultraviolet light from two 25-watt fluorescent lamps. The enclosure can double as a monitor stand, and the mechanism for retracting and ejecting the keyboard works hands-free via sensors.
“In our mission to support quality patient care and facilitate cost reductions through innovative IT solutions, we’re continually looking for exceptional products and services to offer our customers,” said Chris Mertens, vice president of HP’s Healthcare, Personal Systems Group, in a statement. “The Vioguard keyboard is an excellent addition to our healthcare technology portfolio.”
Vioguard’s founders include veterans of the Microsoft Hardware division.
The company notes that the keyboard also was spotlighted in a clinical trial published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Vioguard says its keyboard has been proven effective in killing a minimum of 99.99% of harmful bacteria and viruses
Vioguard describes the keyboard as the first in a series of products it’s working on to stop the spread of bacteria and viruses.
