Two Indian researchers win Ig Nobel Prize for UV-C shoe rack that kills odour

Two Indian researchers have proposed a solution to a universal household nuisance: odour from shoes. Vikash Kumar, 42, an assistant professor of design at Shiv Nadar University outside Delhi, and Sarthak Mittal, 29, his former student who now works in software, say their work began not as a deodorant project but as a design problem about how a shoe rack is experienced when shoes stink. What started as a quest to create a sleek, student-friendly rack evolved into a test of whether stink itself could be tackled at the storage point. The pair’s findings culminated in a prototype that uses ultraviolet-C light to sterilise footwear, a concept that drew attention from the Ig Nobel Prize—the satirical award that honours quirky but thought-provoking science.

A survey conducted at the university underlined the everyday nature of the problem. The study polled 149 students, about 80% of them male, and found that more than half had felt embarrassment over their own shoes or someone else’s odour. Most respondents kept footwear in racks at home, and awareness of existing deodorising products was low. Homegrown hacks such as tea bags tucked into shoes, sprinkling baking soda, or spraying deodorants were common but rarely effective. The researchers then pivoted from design aesthetics to microbiology, focusing on the actual culprit behind the stink: bacteria that thrive in sweaty shoes.

The team identified Kytococcus sedentarius, a bacterium known to accumulate in damp, perspiration-soaked footwear. Building on existing science about how microbes colonise footwear, they tested a practical mitigation: delivering a short blast of ultraviolet-C light directly to the toe area where bacterial buildup is greatest. Their experiments showed that a relatively brief exposure could drastically reduce odour. Specifically, two to three minutes of UVC treatment significantly diminished odour-producing bacteria, and four minutes often eliminated the foul smell altogether. Six minutes kept the shoes odour-free and cool to the touch, while extending exposure to ten to fifteen minutes risked overheating the material and intensifying a burnt-rubber scent.

These results informed a design concept: a shoe rack fitted with a UVC tube that cycles on to sterilise shoes stored inside. The authors were careful to note that the chain of cause and effect is time-dependent, and that excessive light can damage materials. The goal, they said, was not merely to store footwear but to sanitize it between wears, reducing both odour and microbial load. The researchers tested their system using athletic shoes with pronounced odour—a practical proxy for the worst-case scenario—before mapping a timeline of odour reduction that could guide real-world use.

The publication detailing their work caught the attention of the Ig Nobel Prize organizers, a tongue-in-cheek awards program run by the Annals of Improbable Research and co-supported by Harvard-Radcliffe groups. The prize, while not a validation in the conventional sense, celebrates curiosity and the willingness to explore unusual questions. The authors said they had no initial expectation of prize consideration; the Ig Nobel team ultimately contacted them after discovering the 2022 paper and invited them to participate. As Kumar recalled, winning was unexpected: “We had no idea about the prize. The Ig Nobel team just found us, and that in itself makes you laugh and think.” Mittal added that the award is meant to celebrate research that might otherwise be overlooked and to remind scientists that much of everyday life can inspire nonetheless serious inquiry.

The Ig Nobel ceremony this year featured a wide array of winners, from Japanese biologists who painted cows to ward off flies to researchers who studied how alcohol sharpens foreign-language skills in fruit bats—but leaves them bumbling in flight, to name a few. A recurring theme is that the awards aim to spark curiosity and public engagement with science, even when the subject seems humorous. The organizers emphasise that the prizes recognize the wonder of inquiry rather than providing formal validation of methods or conclusions. The two Indian researchers say the experience has enriched their work and added a public-facing dimension to a field often confined to journals and conferences. “The award isn't about certifying research but celebrating it,” Kumar noted.

The broader context around the award underscores the value many scientists place on curiosity-driven inquiry. The Ig Nobel roster typically includes studies that, while odd on the surface, prompt people to think more deeply about science, methodology, and everyday phenomena. In this year’s lineup, researchers explored topics from animal behaviour to culinary science and cognitive testing, illustrating how a wide range of questions can illuminate the scientific method in entertaining ways. The experience, the researchers say, has shifted their perspective on what counts as valuable research and what kinds of questions deserve exploration.

Looking forward, Kumar said the experience has set a higher bar for their team and potentially opened doors to follow-up work on the design of everyday objects. Mittal echoed the sentiment, noting that curiosity about mundane things can yield insights with practical implications. “Beyond recognition, it’s put a burden on us—we now have to do more research on things people don’t usually think about. Ask questions,” he said. The pair’s intention, they emphasize, is not to oversell the novelty but to illustrate how a light touch of science can reimagine ordinary domestic tasks.

If the prototype proves scalable, it could influence how households and campus facilities manage footwear storage. The idea is not to replace deodorants or cleaning products but to reduce odour at the source by minimising microbial growth during storage. In that sense, the shoe rack with an integrated UVC component represents a convergence of design and microbiology—a reminder that the everyday can be a doorway to broader scientific inquiry. As the researchers put it, today’s stinky sneakers could become tomorrow’s breakthrough, and curiosity about ordinary life can lead to intriguing ideas with real-world impact.

Images from the story provide visual context for the design concept and the people behind it. The research trajectory—from a campus survey to a UVC-powered prototype and finally to recognition at a whimsical awards ceremony—illustrates how science can emerge from everyday problems and capture public imagination without compromising rigor.