Low-Cost UVC Water Disinfection Device

Rendered drawings of the final prototype.
Rendered drawings of the final prototype.

Problem framing             

 

To provide FairCap with a prototype that fits onto an Oxfam Bucket and lends itself to large scale manufacturing By redesigning the existing UV light prototype and researching the various materials and manufacturing techniques using modeling, prototyping, and material considerations while also considering cost, safety, durability, and efficiency, as measured by manufacturing price, international safety standards, lifetime of the product, and energy usage to be as follows: under $20, meeting UNICEF standards, a lifetime of at least 1000 use cycles, and a dosage time less than 30 minutes.

 

Technical solution

Figure 1: A rendered drawing representation of the final prototype highlighting the light intensity for disinfection. The light intensity was important for determining the best orientation of the UVC LEDs within the device.
Figure 1: A rendered drawing representation of the final prototype highlighting the light intensity for disinfection. The light intensity was important for determining the best orientation of the UVC LEDs within the device.

 

Figure 2: A zoomed-in rendering of the electronics within the mechanical housing. Key features of the electronics design, like the On/Off switch, the timer indicator, and the microcontroller are shown.
Figure 2: A zoomed-in rendering of the electronics within the mechanical housing. Key features of the electronics design, like the On/Off switch, the timer indicator, and the microcontroller are shown.

 

Figure 3: The physical finished prototype, with the integrated electronics and mechanical design all fitting on the Oxfam bucket. As was a requirement of their partner, there is a way to charge the device via USB.
Figure 3: The physical finished prototype, with the integrated electronics and mechanical design all fitting on the Oxfam bucket. As was a requirement of their partner, there is a way to charge the device via USB.

Hand-off to partner

As a final deliverable for this project, in addition to the prototypes, the team will provide CAD model of structure, including several iterations of the design, the final electronics schematics, and an analysis report. This analysis report will include recommendations on the light dosage and configuration, materials selection for all components, including the glass dome, manufacturing recommendations, and structural considerations.

MIT D-Lab Class

Design for Scale

Student team

MIT students unless otherwise noted.

  • Tolu Asade - Course 2 Junior
  • Harum Bhinder - Harvard University, Masters in Learning Design, Innovation and Technology
  • Caroline Boone - Course 2 Senior
  • James Donegan - LGO Mechanical Engineering (MS/MBA)
  • Francisco J. Galindez - LGO Mechanical Engineering (MS/MBA)
  • Joana Nikolova - Course 16 Junior
  • Sylvie Waft - Course 2 Junior

Community partner

Faircap, located in the UK. 

  • Mauricio Cordova

Contact

Team email