28-Aug-2020:  LIFX Announces World-First Disinfecting Anti-Bac Smart Light

BUD's SP (share price) rose +33.33% from $0.069 to $0.092 today on the back of this announcement, beaten it would seem only by the +86.67% rise of Pointsbet (PBH) on the back of their announcement concerning their results and their NBC Partnership.

BUD:  LIFX Announces World-First Disinfecting Anti-Bacterial Smart Light

SUMMARY

• LIFX Clean is a fully functional white + colour smart light that also uses germicidal antibacterial light to disinfect surfaces and surrounding air
• In a smart lighting world-first, by using 405 nanometre High Energy Visible (HEV) light that is safe for humans, pets and plants, LIFX Clean offers an effortless way to maximise the cleanliness of home environments
• LIFX Clean has passed efficacy testing in laboratory testing conducted by the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology at Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology, as well as IEC and safety testing at UL Verification Services in Guangzhou
• Whilst LIFX Clean is currently in the testing queue for efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which can cause the COVID-19 disease), no claim is currently being made that the product is effective in an antiviral capacity of any kind, including on SARS-CoV-2
• Priced at A$99.99 / US$69.99 / CA$79.99 / €69.99 / £59.99, LIFX Clean is an affordable and accessible new anti-bacterial product, providing broad access to consumers in a time of enormous demand for cleaning products. It is expected to be released to the market in calendar Q4.

28 August 2020 - Adelaide, South Australia:

Buddy Technologies Limited (ASX:BUD), a leader in IoT [the Internet of Things] and cloud-based solutions for making spaces smarter, is proud to announce that it has successfully passed efficacy and safety testing for a brand new product which is expected to launch an entirely new category of smart lighting - a smart, antibacterial disinfecting light called “LIFX Clean”.

Built on top of the award-winning and multi-patented LIFX A19/A60 1200 lumen smart light platform, LIFX Clean offers a fully functional white + colour smart light that includes the mobile app control, internet connectivity and native integration with voice and automation partners such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Hey Google that customers have come to expect.

In a smart lighting world-first however, LIFX Clean also includes additional and specially designed LEDs that emit visible light at a germicidal wavelength of 405 nanometres. At this specific wavelength in the High Energy Visible range, light has a disinfecting effect (called porphyrin excitation) on bacterial microbes on surfaces and in the surrounding air. While the use of UV-C light has a much quicker antimicrobial effect, HEV lighting is safe for use in the presence of humans, pets and plants and unlike UV-C requires no protective measures for its safe use.

As a consumer antibacterial product, LIFX Clean meets the regulatory requirements to be sold in LIFX’s key markets of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The North American markets of the United States and Canada are subject to different regulatory requirements, and those are currently being progressed. The Company does expect to be able to sell LIFX Clean into all of these markets, including North America, at the time of product launch.

The efficacy of any light-based cleaning product is a function of the energy output of the light and the distance of the light from the subject being cleaned. Currently available disinfecting lights targeted at hospital operating theatres and recovery room bathrooms have a typical efficacy of 70% of bacteria killed in 2 hours of light exposure. In a typical desk lamp fixture, or if used in under-cabinet lighting, LIFX Clean has an efficacy of greater than 80% in 2 hours, or more than 99.99% overnight (40cm distance for 8 hours).

Unlike chemical or ultraviolet light (UV - which cannot be used in the un-protected presence of humans, pets or plants) based products which are episodic, LIFX Clean is a non-contact, continuous disinfection product. LIFX Clean can be used as a normal white or colour smart light by day or evening, and then the Clean lighting may be scheduled to come on overnight, or the Clean lighting may be left on continuously (in cleaning mode, LIFX Clean emits a light blue light).

LIFX Clean will initially be sold as a standalone light bulb, but the Company does expect to offer it for sale with a specially designed desk or counter-top fixture that will include a tray to hold items like keys, mobile phones, wallets and other day to day items that commonly mobilise bacteria.

“LIFX Clean is a ground-breaking product that we believe will help create a whole new category of smart lighting, one that we intend to lead with a combination of innovation and relentless pace. This might be our most important step yet towards making every space smarter”, said David McLauchlan, CEO of LIFX. “When the pandemic that has spread throughout the world first took hold, we asked ourselves, ‘What could our team do to contribute to more hygienic environments?’, and ‘How could we help our customers avoid secondary bacterial infections that would worsen the impact of the pandemic?’. The result is LIFX Clean, and I couldn’t be more proud of the team for developing such an affordable and highly innovative product that will help to meet the enormous and currently unquenchable worldwide demand for cleaning products”.

The LIFX Clean product has been tested to meet the IEC 62471 standard for photobiological safety of lamps at UL Verification Services in Guangzhou, China, which is a globally recognised and accredited certification and testing laboratory. These tests ensure that there are no risks from skin exposure and exposure to eyes (including cornea, conjunctiva and lens). LIFX Clean passed this testing, resulting in placement in the "exempt" classification meaning there is no photobiological hazard from the product. Efficacy testing was performed in laboratories at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia (see the Testing & Technology addendum below).

While LIFX Clean has been tested for safety and efficacy in an anti-bacterial capacity, it has not been tested for any antiviral impact, including impact on SARS-CoV-2. Accordingly, no claim is being made that the product has any effect on SAR-CoV-2, however it is currently in the queue to be tested as such, and once results are known, details will be made available by way of further ASX announcements.

LIFX Clean is expected to be priced at A$99.99 (inc. GST) / US$69.99 / CA$79.99 / €69.99 (inc. VAT) / £59.99 (inc. VAT), will launch shortly via pre-sales on LIFX.com and is expected to be available at retail locations in the fourth quarter of this calendar year.

Webinar

The Company will host an investor webinar to discuss this important new product and its impact on the business, opportunities for expansion into new markets, and early reaction by retailers and customers. The webinar will be held at 11am AEST, Tuesday 1st September 2020 (6pm US-PDT, Monday 31st August 2020), no advance registration will be required, and attendees may participate at http://bit.ly/LIFXClean.

--- click on the top link for the full announcement, with pictures ---

[Kinda wish I did hold BUD shares...]