Handwashing Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hand washing methods using sinks and faucets are inefficient, leading to inadequate removal of pathogens, high risks of cross-contamination, and resource wastage, as they often fail to consistently follow recommended hand washing guidelines due to human behavioral variability and design limitations.
Innovation Solution
A fully automated, touch-free hand washing system that uses plain soap and water, with precision-targeted nozzles and a large open cavity allowing hands to be rubbed together, ensuring the correct sequential order of hand washing steps without the need for a faucet, and customizing fluid dispensation based on hand size and location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If automatic soap dispensers release a pre-set volume of soap onto a hand, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates because hand sizes vary greatly and a single release is insufficient to fully cover and clean large hands
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the soap dispensation process based on detected hand characteristics. Multiple sequential releases of soap are provided rather than a single pre-set volume, allowing the system to adapt to varying hand sizes and ensure complete coverage while maintaining automated operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect hand presence, size, and position, then uses this feedback information to control the dispensation of multiple soap releases. This closed-loop control ensures appropriate soap coverage for different hand dimensions while maintaining automated operation
2Manufacturing precision
If people activate an automatic soap dispenser multiple times to compensate for insufficient soap coverage, then the hand coverage precision is improved, but the loss of substance increases due to excessive soap waste
Solution Approach 1:
The control system monitors hand characteristics and automatically determines the optimal number of soap releases needed for complete coverage. This prevents both insufficient coverage and excessive dispensation, eliminating the need for users to activate the dispenser multiple times and thereby preventing soap waste
Solution Approach 2:
The system autonomously manages the soap dispensation process by detecting hand size and automatically providing the appropriate number of releases. This self-adjusting mechanism ensures complete hand coverage while optimizing soap usage, removing the need for user intervention that leads to waste
3Device complexity
If a traditional faucet design is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because the tap or control surface may be dirty or contaminated, negating the hand washing just undertaken
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual faucet operation with an automated sensor-activated dispensing mechanism. This eliminates the need for users to touch potentially contaminated faucet surfaces, as the soap and water are dispensed automatically through sensor detection, thereby removing the cross-contamination risk while maintaining functional simplicity
4Loss of time
If the pre-soap wetting stage is missed out, then the loss of time is reduced, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates because the soap is harder to spread over the surface of the hands and harder to lather
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically provides a pre-wetting stage with water before dispensing soap, ensuring the hands are properly prepared for effective soap application and lathering. This preliminary action is executed automatically without requiring user awareness or intervention, maintaining both time efficiency and soap application quality
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures consistent and efficient hand washing in accordance with CDC guidelines, reducing cross-contamination risks and resource wastage, while allowing for customization of the washing process to individual needs, promoting effective and proportionate hand hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
When the sensor detects the presence of the user's hand within the cavity
Implementation Method 2
the nozzle releases water onto the user's hand
Implementation Method 3
soap molecules contain both hydrophobic ends (which attach to oils, pathogens and other debris) and hydrophilic ends (which attach to water)
Data Source
AI summary
The present system can also overcome the inability of current automatic hand washing machines to strategically target the hands according to the user's specific needs, and allow the user to control functions, such as the pressure or speed, and duration of water flow, in a touch-free manner. The phrase ‘strategically target’, in the present specification, refers to the ability of the device to automatically detect the location of the hands and actively direct the spray at wherever the user's hands are located within the device's cavity, whilst actively avoiding spraying those areas within the cavity where the user's hands are not located. This targeted spraying occurs with both the water spray and the plain liquid soap spray, even as the hands move freely within the cavity.