Coronavirus: Walkthrough TR-MIST sanitising tunnel creates global demand storm

A revolutionary walkthrough sanitising tunnel developed by Todd Research has been launched – with early orders and inquiries including airports, football stadia, conference centres, music venues and factories.

Todd Research, based at Papworth Business Park, launched the TR-MIST sanitising tunnel last week, in partnership with London-based Access Risk Control and Canada-based Tersano. The structure uses plain tap water to create stabilised aqueous ozone, making it 100 per cent eco friendly and totally safe to people, animals, food, and clothing.

By simply walking through the entrance tunnel, all surface areas are exposed to an ultra-fine solution of stabilised aqueous ozone for a period of five seconds. A person can be sanitised with up to 99.99 per cent certainty, thereby creating a safe environment for people entering – and later exiting – buildings.

The TR-MIST has been designed with fold-up walk-in ramps, creating easy access for wheelchair users and for people with limited mobility.

The one-metre tunnel has a throughput of 400 to 500 people per hour: Todd Research can also provide a three-metre tunnel with a walkthrough capacity of 1,200 people per hour.

Sales director Jason Wakefield said: “We’re delighted about the launch of the TR-MIST. We believe we have a unique system to help stop the spread of coronavirus , bringing to the market this chemical-free sanitising solution will help bring confidence back to the general public and those returning to work.

“We launched last week at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool and since then it’s gone mad, we’ve had enquires from some surprising places, including helipads for oil rigs, distribution centres with 7,500 people, for a shift change – it’s gone mental on an enquiries level. From the launch it was clear straight away, once you explain it to them, the public was quite happy to go through the tunnel.

“It’s all about ‘how do we restore confidence for getting people back in?’, and it works with standard social distancing, washing hands and other precautions – all of this is another layer on top of a multi-layered procedural model.”

Todd Research was founded in 1950 in Chelmsford and moved to Papworth Everard in 2009. Its traditional products were X-ray scanners.

“It was just medical devices but when the IRA started their mainland campaign the company was asked to design a machine that could detect a letter bomb,” says Jason of troubled – and murderous – times in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. “You just put the letter inside the scanner and it gives you the image in six seconds.”

Todd Research also provides metal detectors and blast suppression equipment for all eventualities in a letter bomb situation. The scanning device has more recently been applied to finding other illegal content and contraband in the post.

The TR-MIST is a new product which started life as a response to Covid-19 – “you either wait until things pick up or you diversify, and that’s the route we took”, Jason says of the pandemic. “We wanted to provide useful tools for people coming out of the lockdown period.”

The unit is sold either as a flatpack or ready-assembled. Jason is keen to stress that the product has involved products from other companies, including security and event management company Access Risk Control in London and cleaning system company Tersano in Canada.

“They’ve got the sanitising solution, it’s not just us that woke up one morning - it’s built in partnership.”

Stabilised aqueous ozone is made when ozone gas (O3) is infused in water. In this form the ozone is completely safe for humans, and is very effective in killing pathogens. It is produced when standard H2O (tap water) is subjected to an electrical discharge. This process adds an additional oxygen atom to the two oxygen molecules in the water to produce O3.

“We have a network already set up and our distributors can introduce it as another product in their portfolio,” adds Jason. “We have seven active UK distributors but they are also in Singapore, India, Dubai for the Middle East, Germany for Europe, plus Nigeria and South Africa - we’ve been successfully distributing our X-ray machines around the world for years.”

The cost of the 1-metre tunnel is £14,995, the 3-metre tunnel is £22,368.