Design of a portable device to store and disinfect masks of SARS-CoV-2 virus using Peltier modules

The current pandemic has disrupted our routines and masks which were nowhere to be seen have become an essential part of our day-to-day life. The means to carry a mask without contaminating it and also disinfecting them is a challenge in the current scenario and should be so for some time to come. The portable device proposed through this study for storing and disinfecting masks embeds mechanical and electronic design. The device consists of a box that can house six masks, is compact, easy to carry and can disinfect masks. The main purpose is to heat the mask placed inside the box above the temperature of 65 °C for a duration greater than three minutes, so that bacteria and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can be eliminated and the mask can be kept safe, disinfected and reused. This in turn helps to reduce the waste caused by disposing masks and enables portability of masks in a safe and hygienic manner. The box comprises of two Peltier modules controlled by the ATtiny85 microcontroller, a metal plate that is in contact with the Peltier modules, two Li-Po batteries as power supply and a switch to turn on the device. The box can be recharged easily using the micro-USB port.