Could this light be the answer to safe public gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Urban Sun by Studio Roosegaarde is a light that uses ultraviolet radiation to sanitise outdoor spaces potentially reducing the risk of people contracting Covid-19.
Urban Sun uses far-UVC, a type of ultraviolet light with a lower wavelength that is thought to kill viruses while posing a lower health risk to humans.
Studio Roosegaarde claims that Urban Sun could help make locations such as train stations, schools and public squares safe.
It works by being installed overhead on a system of cables so it can shine a large cone of sanitising light onto a space below.
Studio founder Daan Roosegaarde said: "The goal is not to say that we don't need the vaccine or we that don't need masks" "Urban Sun doesn't cure coronavirus, but it does allow social gatherings to be safer." The first Urban Sun was unveiled recently at a launch event in Rotterdam, where the studio is based.
The design was developed in collaboration with scientists and researchers from the USA, Japan, Italy and the Netherlands.