Houston industrial tech company launches new products to sanitize shared spaces from COVID-19

UV rays to save the day

A Houston real estate developer is making sure its common spaces are clean by using a new UV sanitation product from a Houston industrial services company. Photo via 255assay.com

A new technology coming out of a Houston industrial services company is allowing shared spaces to reopen safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apache Industrial Services has expanded its industrial services to include SafeSpace Solutions, a new line that includes UV-C products that minimize the risk of infection by detection and decontamination systems.

Houston-based real estate developer, McCord Development, has employed this new UV sanitation technology at its new apartment complex, 225 Assay, in Generation Park to sanitize high traffic areas such as elevators, amenities, retails spaces, and apartment units before move-ins.

"The new UV technology provides an extra level of comfort and peace of mind for employees and current residents," says Levi Hermes, director of development for McCord Development.McCord Development has two Tomahawk UV-C lamps that rely on ultralight technology to detect and destroy microorganisms in the air and on hard surfaces where the light touches. The light eradicates harmful pathogens and viruses in large open spaces with 99.9 percent effectiveness.

The Tomahawk lamp can be used in closed and open spaces, made out of lightweight carbon steel with a four-wheel stand, it is portable and easy to move. The light tower is remotely operated and leaves a burnt smell after the cleaning process is done.

"The ultimate goal of using the UV technology in our real estate is for our employees, customers, and our other partners that come into our different spaces," says Hermes. "We are doing everything the Center for Disease Control recommends including sanitizing high touch areas, but this adds an extra level of protection."

The lamp is easy to operate and can be moved to common areas and offices in commercial and apartment units quickly. McCord Development has used the UV lights in a variety of settings including industrial buildings, offices, and common areas in 255 Assay such as fitness centers, mailrooms, resident rooms, and a business center, which provide residents a place to socialize and work.

Apache Industrial Services, a McCord Development tenant, has already deployed other UV-related products including Airrow 2000 UV-C Air Treatment System, an air filtration and treatment system, Airrowswift 5000, placed in external A/C packages to filtrate air for small buildings.

Hermes and his team at McCord Development are looking forward to incorporating more gadgets as they become available, because of the heightened sanitation standards which they expect will continue even after society enters a new normal post-pandemic world.

"The long term impact will be monumental," says Hermes. "A lot of the current sanitation procedures will be here to stay. However, the pendulum will swing back to normal, but it will be a new normal. It will be important for owners of real estate to provide that extra level of comfort through sanitation."

Temperature checking

  

Photos via apacheip.com

Apache's Mass Temperature Screening System uses cameras to detect temperature and can scan 5,000 people in 30 minutes with great accuracy, according to the website.

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World's largest student startup competition names teams for 2025 Houston event

ready, set, pitch

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has announced the 42 student-led teams worldwide that will compete in the 25th annual Rice Business Plan Competition this spring.

The highly competitive event, known as one of the world’s largest and richest intercollegiate student startup challenges, will take place April 10–12 at Houston's The Ion. Teams in this year's competition represent 34 universities from four countries, including one team from Rice.

Graduate student-led teams from colleges or universities around the world will present their plans before more than 300 angel, venture capital, and corporate investors to compete for more than $1 million in prizes. Last year, top teams were awarded $1.5 million in investment and cash prizes.

The 2025 invitees include:

  • 3rd-i, University of Miami
  • AG3 Labs, Michigan State University
  • Arcticedge Technologies, University of Waterloo
  • Ark Health, University of Chicago
  • Automatic AI, University of Mississippi and University of New Orleans
  • Bobica Bars, Rowan University
  • Carbon Salary, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Carmine Minerals, California State University, San Bernardino
  • Celal-Mex, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
  • CELLECT Laboratories, University of Waterloo
  • ECHO Solutions, University of Houston
  • EDUrain, University of Missouri-St. Louis
  • Eutrobac, University of California, Santa Cruz
  • FarmSmart.ai, Louisiana State University
  • Fetal Therapy Technologies, Johns Hopkins University
  • GreenLIB Materials, University of Ottawa
  • Humimic Biosystems, University of Arkansas
  • HydroHaul, Harvard University
  • Intero Biosystems, University of Michigan
  • Interplay, University of Missouri-Kansas City
  • MabLab, Harvard University
  • Microvitality, Tufts University
  • Mito Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Motmot, Michigan State University
  • Mud Rat, University of Connecticut
  • Nanoborne, University of Texas at Austin
  • NerView Surgical, McMaster University
  • NeuroFore, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Novus, Stanford University
  • OAQ, University of Toronto
  • Parthian Baattery Solutions, Columbia University
  • Pattern Materials, Rice University
  • Photon Queue, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • re.solution, RWTH Aachen University
  • Rise Media, Yale University
  • Rivulet, University of Cambridge and Dartmouth College
  • Sabana, Carnegie Mellon University
  • SearchOwl, Case Western Reserve University
  • Six Carbons, Indiana University
  • Songscription, Stanford University
  • Watermarked.ai, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Xatoms, University of Toronto

This year's group joins more than 868 RBPC alums that have raised more than $6.1 billion in capital with 59 successful exits, according to the Rice Alliance.

Last year, Harvard's MesaQuantum, which was developing accurate and precise chip-scale clocks, took home the biggest sum of $335,000. While not named as a finalist, the team secured the most funding across a few prizes.

Protein Pints, a high-protein, low-sugar ice cream product from Michigan State University, won first place and the $150,000 GOOSE Capital Investment Grand Prize, as well as other prizes, bringing its total to $251,000.

Tesla recalling more than 375,000 vehicles due to power steering issue

Tesla Talk

Tesla is recalling more than 375,000 vehicles due to a power steering issue.

The recall is for certain 2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles operating software prior to 2023.38.4, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The printed circuit board for the electronic power steering assist may become overstressed, causing a loss of power steering assist when the vehicle reaches a stop and then accelerates again, the agency said.

The loss of power could required more effort to control the car by drivers, particularly at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla isn't aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths related to the condition.

The electric vehicle maker headed by Elon Musk has released a free software update to address the issue.

Letters are expected to be sent to vehicle owners on March 25. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

Houston space tech companies land $25 million from Texas commission

Out Of This World

Two Houston aerospace companies have collectively received $25 million in grants from the Texas Space Commission.

Starlab Space picked up a $15 million grant, and Intuitive Machines gained a $10 million grant, according to a Space Commission news release.

Starlab Space says the money will help it develop the Systems Integration Lab in Webster, which will feature two components — the main lab and a software verification facility. The integration lab will aid creation of Starlab’s commercial space station.

“To ensure the success of our future space missions, we are starting with state-of-the-art testing facilities that will include the closest approximation to the flight environment as possible and allow us to verify requirements and validate the design of the Starlab space station,” Starlab CEO Tim Kopra said in a news release.

Starlab’s grant comes on top of a $217.5 million award from NASA to help eventually transition activity from the soon-to-be-retired International Space Station to new commercial destinations.

Intuitive Machines is a space exploration, infrastructure and services company. Among its projects are a lunar lander designed to land on the moon and a lunar rover designed for astronauts to travel on the moon’s surface.

The grants come from the Space Commission’s Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, which recently awarded $47.7 million to Texas companies.

Other recipients were:

  • Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace, which received $8.2 million
  • Brownsville-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which received $7.5 million
  • Van Horn-based Blue Origin, which received $7 million

Gwen Griffin, chair of the commission, says the grants “will support Texas companies as we grow commercial, military, and civil aerospace activity across the state.”

State lawmakers established the commission in 2023, along with the Texas Aerospace Research & Space Economy Consortium, to bolster the state’s space industry.

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