Good hygiene prevents infections.

When you go out for a meal, you don’t expect to share a glass of water or a spoon with strangers.  But shared indoor air in public areas can contain more viruses and bacteria than a used glass or spoon! See, for example: Virginia Tech, 2016; Clemson University, 2009; and Clemson University, 2018.

The typical adult breathes over 30 pounds of air per day (about 1 cubic meter every 2 hours), mostly while indoors. To prevent respiratory infections, it is critical for all of us to have healthy and germ-free hygienic air within buildings and public spaces.

The design of our flagship air disinfection technolgy - the halō - is based on a comprehensive technical analysis of the indoor air environment, aerodynamic fate/transport modeling of respiratory pathogens from source to receptor, and laboratory dose-response data, with validation by full-scale aerosol chamber efficacy testing.  Our analysis began with a review of current literature and indoor air models.  We found existing approaches were inadequate because they are all based on the Wells-Riley well-mixed homogeneous indoor air model (see, for example, Peng, 2022; Bazant 2021-1; Bazant 2021-2; Mittal, 2020; Buonanno, 2020; Riley, 1978; Jones, 2020; and, Halloran, 2012)  Our approach addresses the deficiencies of other studies by incorporating:

  • Rigorous and comprehensive characterization of respiratory infection risk with spatially-variable pathogen exposure – defining the “breathing zone” at 3-7 feet from the ground
  • Respiratory jet dynamics for proximal and downwind receptors
  • Multifaceted comparative depiction of common mitigation measures including face coverings, social distancing, transparent partitions, natural draft openings; bulk air currents; breathing zone pathogen variability; and, treatment, filtration, and/or ventilation with non-equilibrium intake pathogen loadings

Safe, effective, and sustainable air hygiene proven for 100X pathogen reduction.

At LUV Systems, we are committed to infection prevention and enhancing your wellness. We safely clean indoor air with state-of-the-art technology by effectively managing airflow to remove pathogen from the breathing zone in the indoor environment, and fast disinfection before cleaned air is returned to the breathing zone.

We strive to protect our most vulnerable communities including health care patients and workers, seniors, and the immunocompromised. One halō covers an area up to 4,500 square feet, with multiple units working in tandem for larger spaces.

Our patented approach is unique and unparalleled because only our technology actively removes 2,200 cubic feet/minute of potentially infectious air from the areas where people breath, quickly disinfects the air with germicidal low-ultraviolet (LUV) lights, and returns hygienic air back to the breathing zone, >99.5% free of infectious agents.

Our products are:

Customers love the halō, which has operated continuously and flawlessly in commercial and clinical settings since 2021. Our technology does not rely on HVAC operation, uses no disposable filters, and is effective for all known respiratory pathogens and many allergens including those that cause asthma.

Our founders are environmental stewards with a vision for health-based outcomes and enduring dedication to healthy environments for people, including air, water, and land resources free of pollution and pathogens. We started with the outdoor environment in the 1990s, focusing on improving air quality in urban communities, enhancing water quality and mitigating pollutants in wastewaters and stormwater, cleaning up contaminated lands and groundwater resources, and source-based pollution prevention strategies.

In early 2020, our Los Angeles-based team refocused on indoor air quality, applying the tools and science-based approaches we mastered for outdoor environments. Seeing no safe, effective, and sustainable indoor air solutions in the marketplace for infection prevention and allergen reduction, we decided to step up and invent, design, and produce meaningful solutions to improve indoor air hygiene.

This is our story.

Our Technology

Germicidal ultraviolet light has been used to disinfect and kill airborne germs in critical healthcare and indoor environments for close to 100 years, including Duke University Hospital operating rooms starting in 1936. To tackle the urgent need for healthy and pathogen-free indoor air, LUV Systems has assembled a team of experienced resources from MIT, UC Berkeley, Boston University, UT Austin, and Caltech, and invented, patented, designed, and produced the halō as our first technology offering breathing zone airflow management and low-wavelength (Low-UVC) germicidal disinfection specifically configured for indoor air in occupied areas. Selected medical, photonics, and engineering experts have contributed key performance and safety elements for the halō and all LUV Systems' products.

While there are many disinfection products in the marketplace, the halō is the only safety- and efficacy-tested product with complete airflow management for non-homogeneous and real-world indoor air conditions with 2,200 cubic feet/minute breathing zone clearance and continuous and non-intrusive >99.5% disinfection of indoor air while people are present.

Safe. Effective. Sustainable.

PRACTICAL AND UNIVERSAL SOLUTIONS FROM SCIENCE

Our Journey

LUV Systems has offices in California and Texas. Our team of engineers and scientists has a simple objective:

Make people safer from germs and allergens in public places.

In early 2020, we commissioned our affiliate, EnviroProcess Consultants, Inc. (EPC) to invent, design, and produce safe, effective, sustainable, and affordable solutions with novel uses of germicidal low-UVC light. We carefully studied transport and fate mechanisms for respiratory pathogens. We retained Boston University Medical School to characterize the effectiveness of our low-UVC system for killing airborne infectious agents.

As a result, our formulated and proprietary solutions are foremost based in science and engineering. Our unique technology and strategy for transmission risk mitigation in public places is now available for healthcare settings, long-term care, schools, retail and commercial shops, offices, gyms and studios, places of worship, and any public space where respiratory infection risk may be of concern.

For healthy indoor air, EPC and LUV Systems developed the halō, a proactive, state-of-the-art solution to respiratory infections. the halō is the only product to provide short-range (<6 ft) and long-term (>8 hr) of protection from respiratory infection, 40x longer than the CDC's published 15-minute guideline for close contact without mitigation.

Our principal founder and CEO, Anu Sood, is an MIT-trained professional chemical engineer with 30+ years as a recognized expert in air quality characterization, control, and treatment. Anu is recognized by the South Coast Air Quality Management District as a certified control technology consultant and his firm EPC has provided pollution prevention and reduction strategies for over 30 years.

For more about our story and additional resources, please visit our newsroom and literature library.

Our Leadership

Anu Sood, PE, CPP

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Anu is a Professional Chemical Engineer with over 40 years of air quality and environmental engineering experience. His clients include healthcare and long-term care facilities, research institutions, the US Departments of Defense and Energy, City and County of Los Angeles, school districts, and property managers. Anu is certified by the South Coast Air Quality Management District for air quality technology determinations. He is principal author of the seminal design document for the halō, Preventing Respiratory Infections: A unified dose model and IAQ risk assessment tool, and Boston University Medical School research design including Low-Wavelength UVC Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on Common Public Surfaces. Anu has bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from MIT, and is a recipient of the MIT Alumni Association's 2025 Harold E. Lobdell ’17 Distinguished Service Award.

Danish S. Khatri

VICE PRESIDENT, ENGINEERING

Danish is an Electrical Engineer with over 20 years as a technical leader and product engineer. His experience in bringing new products to market includes product management, product design and development, roadmap and product lifecycle management, systems analysis, testing, product cost analysis, and outsourced manufacturing. As team lead, Danish fosters a collaborative and creative problem-solving environment. His contributions for LUV Systems includes complete detailed design and specification of the halō, selection and management of manufacturing partners and contracts, preparation of the halō installation manual, research support and spectroscopy, and oversight of structural engineering calculations, product testing, and UL/ETL certification. Danish has bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from MIT.

Sandy Seth, JD

CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER

Sandy is a registered patent attorney with over 30 years of intellectual property licensing and litigation experience. He has negotiated multi-million-dollar patent licenses and brings unparalleled expertise and strategic insight to every patent proceeding. Sandy’s extensive career spans both in-house and private practice, where he has consistently achieved client goals through his deep understanding of patent law and his unique approach to complex cases. For LUV Systems, he has been responsible for successfully executing US and international patent applications, contract negotiations, corporate partnerships and customer relations, regulatory compliance, the halō product efficacy testing, licensing outreach, and investor relations. Sandy has a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from UT Austin and law degree from the University of Houston.

Our Highlights

RESEARCH

Our research has focused on three priorities for infection prevention in public common areas – airflow management, air disinfection, and field efficacy testing.

Airflow management – we studied the aerodynamic fate and transport of exhaled aerosolized pathogens from source to receptor, and concluded that the most effective means to manage airflow is to draw air up and away from the breathing zone, towards central location in the ceiling.  The cleaned air is then returned in a manner that avoids mixing with untreated air.  A large volume of air should be processed continuously, equivalent to the entire breathing zone volume in under 10 minutes, in a way that is unobtrusive, unlike noisy ventilators in kitchens and washrooms.  See our scientific paper, Preventing Respiratory Infections, for details of our analysis and conclusions.

Disinfection – to determine the dose-response relationship for low-UVC exposure and pathogen inactivation, we contracted with the Griffiths Lab at Boston University Medical School to evaluate the halō 254 nm low-UVC light fixture.  Their team implemented our research protocol for various germicidal low-UVC wavelengths, Low-Wavelength UVC Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on Common Public Surfaces.  Lab results were obtained and the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen susceptibility factor was determined.  Results were consistent with published findings by other researchers, and surface data were extrapolated to the aerosol phase as documented in Preventing Respiratory Infections.

Efficacy testing – the halō was designed based on airflow and disinfection research noted above, and efficacy testing was completed for the production model in a large aerosol chamber laboratory (ISO 17025 and AAMI TIR12 accredited, US FDA GLP compliant).  the halō was installed in the 5,000 cubic feet chamber and the air was saturated with virus-laden aerosols.  Results of MS2 bacteriophage inactivation showed:

  • 95% inactivation in 15 minutes,
    exceeding the CDC close-contact threshold
  • >99.5% inactivation in 30 minutes, over 100x reduction in active airborne virus compared to baseline.

PATENTS

LUV Systems has executed various patent applications for our novel low-UVC disinfection technologies, including the halō.  To date, we have received United States and Indian patents for the halō, and other international applications are pending.  Patents for the halō include 29 granted claims for:

  • An air treatment system includes a lower cowling configured to be suspended from a ceiling, the lower cowling defining an interior lower cowling surface and configured to be disposable radially outward from and around a fan configured to induce airflow.
  • The air treatment system includes an upper cowling configured to be disposed vertically above the lower cowling and define an interior upper cowling surface.
  • A gap between the interior upper cowling surface and the interior lower cowling surface forms a fluid passageway comprising an intake opening, an exhaust opening, and a chamber.
  • The fluid passageway is contoured to receive airflow from the fan via the intake opening and direct the airflow through the chamber to exit the exhaust opening.
  • The air treatment system includes at least one air treatment device secured within the chamber, the air treatment device configured to treat air passing through the chamber.

TECHNOLOGY

the halō employs various novel and proprietary technologies pertaining to airflow management, pathogen disinfection, and low-UVC containment chamber:

Airflow – the aerodynamic design minimizes mixing of potentially infectious air with treated air, thereby ensuring efficient airflow and effective treatment.  the halō form factor provides laminar flow into and exiting the system, and offers a large airflow volume of 2,200 cubic feet per minute without noise or disruptive airflow for occupants in a room.  The system operates independent of HVAC, and no air is removed from the room.  Because of the modulated upflow design of the halō fan, resonance zones are eliminated and winter heating energy savings are realized as warm air near the ceiling is circulated down to occupied areas.

Disinfection - the halō uses 254 nm low-UVC fluorescent bulbs to uniformly and continuously disinfect all air entering the containment chamber.  The low-UVC power is sufficient to provide 99.9% disinfection of air per pass, with the required low-UVC dose delivered within the chamber residence time.  Bulbs have a rated life of 9,000 hours, and the only required maintenance is bulb replacement – there is no waste as bulbs are recycled.

Containment chamber – the internal surfaces of the halō containment panels are lined with a proprietary, aerospace-grade coating that absorbs low-UVC.  The low-UVC dose within the containment is 10,000x greater than allowable for human exposure, so 99.99% of the generated low-UVC is absorbed to protect occupants in the room.  This exceptional attenuation level is verified by our UL/ETL certification testing, and achieved due to the patented orientation of our bulbs and specially formulated internal chamber coating.