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Every day, people walk around touching things: doorknobs, sink taps, handrails, and more. Touch is a big part of interacting with the world. As a tactile species, humans connect with the world through their surroundings.
But the mere act of touching something that someone has touched before you is always a risk because that is precisely how many pathogens are spread — through touch. Luckily, a young man from the Caribbean has invented a self-sanitizing doorknob that disinfects itself after it has been touched, thus removing one more way for diseases to spread, The Guardian reported.
From a Rural Farm to University
Rayvon Stewart grew up in a poor household in the farming community of Mount Prospect. Raised by his grandmother, he and his cousin were the first people in his family to go to university. It was there where he discovered a love for inventing things, with one of his inventions 3D software that can allow people to virtually try on clothing before buying them online.
However, it wasn’t until he started volunteering at a hospital that the idea for a self-sanitizing door handle came to him. “I saw how patients were suffering, the assistance that they needed, and how difficult it was for the nurses,” Stewart told The Guardian.
Now, at the age of 30 and no longer a student, he is bringing a product called Xermosol to the market — a door handle that uses UV light to kill 99.9 percent of pathogens, but that is also safe for humans and animals. This could be incredibly useful for businesses and institutions to stop the spread of disease; but especially for hospitals where pathogens run rampant.
Pride of the Caribbean
As the tech sector of the Caribbean grows, Stewart has become a source of pride. “We’re very proud of him,” said Dr. Camille-Ann Thoms-Rodriguez, a consultant microbiologist at the University of the West Indies.
In addition, the growth of important inventions has also inspired other young people in the region to get involved. As Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, the co-founder of Tech-Beach-Retreat, a tech platform that connects innovators and investors, noted in The St. Kitts & Nevis Observer, more and more youth want to take on big challenges. They see what is going on in other parts of the world and want to join in and solve problems beyond their country.
As Stewart’s journey from farmer to entrepreneur proves, it doesn’t matter what a person’s background is. Everyone has the potential to change the world for the better beyond where they came from.
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