How a Jamaican student invented a self-disinfecting door handle for hospitals: ‘Design that fits reality’

Today, Rayvon Stewart's model is celebrated as a symbol of the Caribbean's growing science and technology talent pool

When the Jamaican university student Rayvon Stewart invented a workable model for a door handle that could disinfect itself after every touch, it was hailed as a potential gamechanger for hospitals, hotels and other businesses, with promising implications for controlling the spread of disease, particularly during pandemics like Covid-19.

Speaking at a recent product launch, Alison Drayton, assistant secretary-general of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), a 15-member bloc of Caribbean countries, described the invention as a meaningful solution" for the region and a life-saving design that fits our reality".