Not a fan of using chemical-based cleansers and disinfectants to get rid of the filth on your kitchen countertop? We understand. Those things can be pretty nasty, after all, making them a questionable choice for use in the same surface you prepare your food on. The UVe offers an equally potent alternative, sans the potential hazards of chemicals.
A mini-Roomba of sorts, it’s a device that will thoroughly and safely clean tables, countertops, and other surfaces autonomously. Just set it down on the counter, switch it on, and leave it to work – it will clean every inch of that surface and automatically stop once the whole area is covered.
The UVe is a disc-shaped device that looks like a simple knob while sitting on the countertop. It won’t suck up dirt and debris like robotic vacuum cleaners, although the UV germicidal lamp on the underside will unleash hell on every germ that lays in its path (the lamp automatically turns off once the device is lifted off the surface to ensure kids don’t play with it). It features smart ledge detection to ensure it will never fall off, infrared obstacle detection, and a learning algorithm that allows it to find the most efficient way to cover an entire surface after a few runs. Features include a charging dock (the device parks itself after it finishes cleaning), configurable cleaning cycles (it can clean every hour, every two hours, or every four hours), and a failsafe mode that automatically sends it to dock as soon as the battery goes under 10 percent.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running to fund UVe. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $89.