by Brianna Crandall — December 13, 2019 — OptiSolve, a division of family-owned Canadian company Charlotte Products Ltd., launched the second phase of its Pathfinder imaging technology earlier this year that maps where germs remain on surfaces before or after cleaning, revealing contamination. The visual imaging technology was awarded the prestigious ISSA 2019 Innovation Award in the Services & Technology Category at the recent ISSA Show North America.
This ISSA Award acknowledges the technology platform that OptiSolve has developed and is commercializing to help advance the cleaning protocols across all markets by making the invisible visible. OptiSolve reveals microbial contamination on surfaces by using a proprietary Pathfinder imaging technology.
Left side of photo shows Pathfinder imaging for microbial contamination; right side is how the “clean” door handle looks to the eye. Image courtesy OptiSolve
The technology generates high-quality intensity map images to proactively indicate where contamination remains before and after cleaning, providing a breakthrough in the infection prevention strategy. The company says that “90% of sites that looked clean by visual assessment were found to still contain microbial contamination.”
This existing surface assessment visual indicator is an insightful diagnostics tool for any facility where contamination and infections can cause a health and economic burden, from hospitals to food manufacturing plants to educational and sports facilities and offices.
Tony Ambler, chairman of Charlotte Products Ltd., noted that the ISSA award, along with a $4.5 million Genome Canada grant in February, has made 2019 a “breakthrough year” for the company.
The ISSA Innovation Award Program is an annual event that drives the cleaning industry forward by supporting and recognizing the latest in products and services that ISSA members have to offer.
For more information about the Pathfinder imaging technology, visit the OptiSolve website.
