UltraClean

simple hygiene.

Background Information







Technologies such as ultrasonic cleaning, solar power and various sanitization methods have long existed. However, consolidation of them to provide a simplified and convenient cleaning product to sanitize contaminated surgical instruments and reused needles in third-world countries does not. UltraClean intends to reduce diseases unnecessarily caused by infections by unclean surgical tools and reused needles in remote small/medium clinics or emergency medical establishments where electricity or medical supplies are scarce.
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Ultrasonic Technology

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Ultrasound is the oscillating sound wave above human hearing range (20 Hz – 20 kHz and is typically defined from 20 kHz up to Megahertz range. It has a wide range of applications in disciplines such as chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, oceanography, food industry, medicine and seismology. Examples of such applications include SAW (Surface Acoustic Waves) signal-processing devices in analogue signal processing, medical applications such as fetal, cardiac, urological and ophthalmological imaging using noninvasive acoustics and cleaning heavily contaminated devices with complicated surface structure such as greased machine components and soiled surgical instruments. Our project will focus on the cleaning property of the ultrasound.

Sterilization Technologies





Sterilisation and cleaning are complementary procedures: after cleaning the material with ultrasonic wave is in fact not yet sterilised, whilst the sterilization does not remove debris. The sterilization process aims to destroy all forms of microbial life, including spores, by either physical or chemical actions.

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Solar Technology

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The Ultrasonic cleaner is to be powered using a combination of a rechargeable battery and a solar panel. Our initial aim was to rely just on energy produced from the solar panel, however, due to changes in weather, the efficiency of the panel will not be constant, therefore will not be a reliable power supply. This, coupled with the fact that you will not be able to use the cleaner at night meant that we had to provide an alternative power supply in the form of a rechargeable battery.

Experiments







We did several experiments to verify the effectiveness of our ultrasonic cleaner.



Take a look at our results:

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Product Design

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We wanted our product to be portable; this put certain requirements on the product. One such requirement was the ease of transport; our solution was to add wheels to the ultrasonic tank and an extendable handle, so one could roll it around like a rolling luggage bag. Secondly, as the product will be used in multiple locations, the solar panel requires adjustability so that it can face the sun. We solved this problem with a clever twist, the solar panel is to become the lid of the tank, it can also be moved along the extending handle and finally it can rotate around the handle. This allows the user to adjust the solar panel in the direction of the sun. The product will be controlled using a control panel at the front of the tank, this allows one to set a timer for the cleaning and to start or stop it. After the user has finished using the cleaner, wastewater can be drained off with a tap, which opens at the bottom of the tank.

Take a look at a 3d model of our design:

Conclusion

To conclude, we believe that the idea of UltraClean is feasible. From experimental results, ultrasonic cleaning, with locally sourced solvents, can remove common body microbes. Coupled with a second-stage sterilisation process and powered by renewable solar energy, UltraClean will be readily be accessible to any unsophisticated regions of the world regardless of scarcity of medical supplies and electricity.

About

We are a group of 2nd year students from Imperial College London. UltraClean is our second year group project.

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