The OptiClean was developed through rapid innovation in early 2020 to help support infectious isolation rooms in hospitals. TIME featured OptiClean in the Medical Care category of its annual list that recognises 100 ground-breaking inventions that are making the world better and smarter.

“We are honored the OptiClean is being recognized by TIME for a product we developed and brought to market in record time while maintaining strict standards to ensure the highest quality,” said Carrier senior vice president, engineering, Chris Kmetz. “At Carrier, we’re committed to doing our part to develop smart, sustainable and efficient solutions that will address our most critical needs.”

At the onset of the pandemic, Carrier invented the OptiClean as a negative air machine for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to help hospitals protect caregivers, workers, and patients. OptiClean can plug into standard wall outlets and has a footprint of less than three square feet. As an air scrubber OptiClean can improve the indoor air quality of classrooms, restaurants, dental offices, commercial buildings and more, by pulling in air, scrubbing it using a HEPA filter, and then exhausting cleaner air back into the room, reducing contaminants in the air and offering further protection as part of an overall mitigation strategy.