Reconfigurable Touch Interface for Cross-Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies are inadequate in reducing cross-contamination of pathogens on high-frequency touch points in public places, as traditional disinfectants require prolonged contact times and persistent coatings take extended periods to achieve complete inactivation.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic reconfiguration control system (DRS) that dynamically reconfigures the user interface and provides visual signals to guide users to safer touch spots, combining with active pathogen inactivation methods to minimize cross-contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional disinfectants are used to inactivate pathogens, then pathogen inactivation is achieved, but the contact time required is prolonged (five minutes for fast-acting disinfectants)
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically reconfigures the user interface between uses, changing which touch spots are active or highlighted. This dynamic adjustment ensures that subsequent users are directed to different, previously untouched areas, effectively extending the functional decontamination period beyond the chemical inactivation time alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification and marking of safe touch spots before the user arrives. By using sensors to detect previous touch locations and pre-configuring the interface to highlight safe areas, the system eliminates the need for users to wait through the full chemical inactivation period.
2Reliability
If persistent antimicrobial coatings are applied to surfaces, then ongoing pathogen inactivation is provided, but complete inactivation takes extended periods (2 hours for Microban, 2-3 minutes for HygraTek)
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary intelligence layer (sensors, processors, and display systems) that mediates between the persistent coating's chemical action and the user's touch behavior. This intermediary system guides users to safe spots, effectively decoupling the user experience from the slow chemical inactivation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback to users through visual indicators showing which touch spots are currently safe. This feedback mechanism allows users to make informed decisions about where to touch, compensating for the slow action of persistent coatings by directing traffic to areas where the coating has had sufficient time to act.
3Productivity
If sequential touch points are used without intervention, then device functionality is maintained, but cross-contamination probability increases due to insufficient time between touches
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the touch surface into multiple distinct zones or spots, each with its own safety status. By dividing the interface into separable touch areas and managing them independently, the system can direct sequential users to different segments, reducing cross-contamination while maintaining overall device functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the touch interface by dynamically adjusting which spots are active, highlighted, or recommended based on real-time contamination risk assessment. This parameter change allows the same physical device to adapt its usage pattern to minimize cross-contamination.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system and pathogen inactivation method to reduce cross-contamination within operational devices that experience sequential touching of touch spots on the operational device by multiple people. Additionally, the system controls and then executes the reconfiguration of touch spot position to increase the probabilistic time interval between sequential touches from a first person to a second person physically interacting with the operational device. The dynamic reconfiguration control system reduces the probability of cross-contamination between sequential personal touches in sequential user sessions.