Imagine standing in a glowing halo of light—no water, no soap, yet every speck of dust, dirt, and microbe is instantly swept away from your skin. Your body feels rejuvenated, nerves tingling with energy, surrounded by a “bath of fire” that cleanses and invigorates. This wasn’t science fiction in 1935. It was Nikola Tesla’s bold vision for the future of personal hygiene and longevity.
Today, that vision lives on through pioneering far-ultraviolet (far-UV) technology developed by RF Safe and its founder, John Coates. What Tesla imagined as a safe, waterless “electric bath” powered by high-frequency electricity has evolved into practical, plasma-driven far-UV systems. These tools deliver powerful microbial control on skin, surfaces, PPE, and even in emergency hot zones—safely, without chemicals or water.
This is the story of how one of history’s greatest inventors inspired a modern breakthrough in infection control, brought to life by a forward-thinking innovator who built working prototypes years ahead of the curve.
The Man Who Saw the Future in Electricity
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) was the Serbian-American genius behind alternating current (AC) power, the Tesla coil, wireless communication, and countless other world-changing inventions. He didn’t just tinker with electricity—he lived it. Tesla viewed the human body itself as an electrical machine that deserved the same precision engineering he applied to his dynamos and oscillators.
By age 78, Tesla was still sharp, inventive, and walking 10+ miles a day. In a remarkable 1935 interview with Physical Culture magazine titled “Nikola Tesla’s Youth and Strength at 78,” he revealed his secrets to longevity. He ate two meals a day, avoided coffee and alcohol, and treated his body like a well-oiled engine. But his most radical idea was the waterless bath—a hygienic revolution he was actively working to make safe and affordable for everyone.
Tesla’s “Bath of Fire”: The Waterless Electric Bath
Tesla described it vividly:
“I believe in what may be called a waterless bath, by which I mean charging of the body to a very high electric potential. It is a bath of fire that rebuilds, rejuvenates, cleans, and exhilarates. It carries off instantly all dust, impurities and microbes, and stimulates the tips of the nerves. While in the bath the body is surrounded by a halo of light, plainly visible in the dark. I am now working on an apparatus which will make this electric bath safe and economically possible, even for a person of average means.”
The science behind it? Tesla’s earlier discoveries in high-frequency, high-voltage currents (dating back to 1891). When the body is charged to an extremely high electric potential, powerful electrostatic forces rip particles off the skin’s surface. The visible “halo” is corona discharge—a plasma glow where air is ionized. This physically dislodged dirt and microbes while producing beneficial oxidative species like ozone. Tesla and contemporaries like Hugo Gernsback demonstrated “cold fire” dry baths that left skin rosy, tingling, and cleaner than traditional water bathing.
Tesla saw this as the ultimate hygienic tool: faster, more sanitary, and accessible to the masses. He was developing the hardware to tame the high voltages safely. It was pure visionary genius—electricity as everyday medicine and cleanser.
Fast-Forward: RF Safe and the Modern Tesla Bath
John Coates, founder of RF Safe, has essentially built the safe, practical evolution of Tesla’s electric bath.
Coates’ far-UV systems use krypton-chloride (KrCl) excimer lamps—specialized bulbs where a dielectric barrier discharge creates a controlled plasma inside the lamp. That plasma generates powerful 222 nm far-UVC light, the exact wavelength that inactivates viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens by damaging their DNA/RNA. The lamps themselves glow with plasma energy, echoing Tesla’s halo of light.
The parallels are striking:
- High-frequency electromagnetic energy: Tesla used radio-frequency-range currents. Far-UV operates at vastly higher frequencies (~1.35 × 10¹⁵ Hz) and photon energies—yet both harness electromagnetic waves for microbial control.
- Plasma at the heart: Both technologies rely on plasma generation. Tesla’s corona discharge ionized air around the body; Coates’ excimer lamps use plasma arcing within the KrCl bulb to produce the germicidal UV.
- Visible/energetic glow: The “bath of fire” halo is reborn as the plasma emission in far-UV lamps.
- Waterless, chemical-free cleaning: Tesla’s electrostatic repulsion + oxidation removes and neutralizes microbes. Far-UV delivers precise photonic disinfection that works on contact surfaces, air, and skin—without water or harsh chemicals.
- Safety for humans: Tesla obsessed over making high-voltage baths safe for average people. Far-UVC at 222 nm is uniquely safe—it doesn’t penetrate living skin or eyes deeply, allowing continuous use in occupied spaces. This is the exact “safe apparatus” Tesla dreamed of.
John Coates didn’t just theorize—he built early prototypes years ahead of others. He famously converted his own home breezeway hallway into a working far-UV decontamination zone, complete with videos documenting the systems in action long before similar concepts appeared in later patent filings. These early inventions establish strong prior art, placing core ideas like drop-in contamination zones into the public domain.
Coates has also secured patents for advanced integrations, including far-UV systems that combine disinfection with wireless data transmission networks—allowing air and surface cleaning while simultaneously transmitting data. This patented innovation pushes the technology even further.
Practical Power: From Hand Cleaners to Ebola Hot Zones
RF Safe’s far-UV innovations draw directly from Coates’ pioneering prototypes:
- PPE Safety Modules: The Far-UV PPE Safety Module – Open-Grid Ambient-Flow Concept features solar-assisted, rapid-deployment units with lamp arrays that create a protective disinfection field using natural airflow. Operators step in for quick 20–30 second cycles—ideal for real-time decontamination.
- Hand Cleaners and Surface Disinfection: Portable, waterless solutions that provide instant microbial kill on hands and high-touch surfaces.
- Drop-in Hot-Zone Containers: Coates’ early prototypes—including the breezeway hallway conversion—demonstrated practical drop-in or modular contamination zones years before similar “tunnel” concepts gained attention around 2020. These systems can be rapidly deployed in crisis settings, such as Ebola hot zones, creating safe disinfection environments for responders and equipment. Because of Coates’ prior art and prototypes, the foundational concept sits in the open domain, available for broad use while his patented wireless-data integrations represent the cutting-edge advancements.
These systems offer key benefits: open-grid rapid deployment, operator safety in occupied spaces, minimal maintenance, natural cooling/airflow integration, and the ability to disinfect while maintaining connectivity through integrated wireless networks.
In an Ebola hot zone, for example, such units could allow medical teams to decontaminate gear and air on the fly—breaking transmission chains faster and more effectively than water- or chemical-dependent methods.
Why This Matters: A Legacy of Innovation
Tesla didn’t just invent devices—he imagined electricity transforming daily life and human health. John Coates and RF Safe have picked up that torch, delivering a 21st-century embodiment of the waterless electric bath through early prototypes that established prior art and patented advancements that integrate disinfection with wireless data transmission.
Where Tesla saw the potential in high-frequency plasma effects, Coates has engineered precise, safe, plasma-powered far-UV systems that protect people in the most demanding environments. The result? Cleaner air, safer PPE, faster outbreak containment, and a greener alternative to chemical disinfectants—all while respecting the open-domain foundation laid by his earliest working models.
Tesla would likely be thrilled. He once said the human body was a machine deserving proper care. Thanks to RF Safe’s far-UV technology, we now have a powerful new way to keep that machine clean, protected, and ready for whatever challenges lie ahead—from everyday hygiene to global health crises.
The electric bath is here. The future Tesla envisioned is glowing brighter than ever.
Outreach
Re: Far-UVC Technology for Ebola Containment / Connecting with RFK Jr.
Dear Miriam,
Thank you for getting back to me and for forwarding my suggestion. I truly appreciate your openness and your help in passing this along.
Given that the Children’s Health Defense @ChildrensHD founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., @RobertKennedyJr and noting his current role as HHS @SecKennedy , he is going to urgently need access to this kind of advanced expertise if the agency is going to utilize the latest technology to successfully contain the Ebola outbreak.
America is currently in a distinct leadership position in this area because of the unique knowledge and engineering capabilities we possess. As an inventor of highly advanced and patented Far-UVC technology (US11700058B2), I am intimately aware of the scope of knowledge within the government, Ivy League institutions, and commercial entities.
The strategy I recently outlined in an open letter to Elon Musk is a ready-to-deploy physics solution. By implementing rugged, solar-powered Far-UVC decontamination portals at the outbreak’s epicenters, we can fully sanitize healthcare workers’ armor while they are still safely sealed inside it, eliminating human error entirely.
I am completely available to assist in the procurement and design of these mobile applications around the epicenters. Because my sole objective is to protect the American people from a contagion that could easily get out of control, I am offering my services and expertise entirely for free.
Could you please facilitate a connection or ensure that Mr. Kennedy is brought up to speed on this Far-UVC technology and my availability to help his team?
He or anyone on his staff can reach me directly on my phone at 727-610-1188. Thank you again for your time, support, and help in coordinating this vital connection.
Blessings,
John Coates
727-610-1188
