Tool/Machine

Seung M. You of the University of Texas at Arlington in the U.S. will develop and test an aluminum wicking medium that can be used in an evaporative, passive- cooling refrigeration system for vaccine storage and delivery in dry climates. The wicking medium will be lightweight, low-cost, and include micro- and nano-scale pores for high wickability over a large surface area, providing sustained water evaporation to keep vaccines cool.

Keith Bartlett of True Energy in the United Kingdom will work with stakeholders in the immunization community to create a prototype vaccine storage device that uses the properties of water density to maintain vaccines at 4°C during the "last mile" of the cold chain. A water container that maintains the liquid at a steady temperature of 4°C will be in contact with the vaccine storage area, preventing temperature fluctuations that can damage or destroy vaccines.

Anthony Battersby of River Energy Networks in the United Kingdom will develop and field test a simple inexpensive micro-hydroturbine that can drive a generator to power vaccine refrigerators and other health care facility equipment. Proof-of-concept models will be tested in Nigeria using components designed for simplicity and reliability.

George Barbastathis of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology in the U.S. will lead a team to develop Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that can be deployed by health care workers via cell phones to swiftly transport vaccines to rural locations and alleviate last-mile delivery problems and improve cost, quality, and coverage of vaccine supplies.

Jintian Tang of Tsinghua University in China will design and test a portable, non-invasive device for its ability to kill the worm larvae that causes the chronic parasitic disease Schistosomiasis. Tang's research has shown that the worm larvae, which enters through the skin and causes immediate dermatitis, die at temperatures low enough to not harm human skin. By applying a heated device on the skin upon the first signs of dermatitis, the worm larvae can be eradicated before entering the human blood stream.

Eamonn Keogh of the University of California- Riverside proposes to develop low cost hardware that can automatically count mosquitoes as they fly past a sensor. Accurate counts of the sex/species of mosquitoes are critical for planning intervention and control strategies to reduce malaria disease transmission.

Zhiyong Ren of the University of Colorado Denver in the U.S. proposes to develop a low-cost and easy-to-operate bioelectric system that uses microbes to break down waste and convert it to usable electricity. This technology could provide a self-sustainable solution for communities in need of both sanitary waste disposal and an energy supply.

Ian Gates and Michael Kallos of the University of Calgary in Canada propose to combine two well-established technologies - anaerobic micro-digesters and micro combined heat/power thermoelectric generation units - into a single portable unit that can consume human excreta to generate electricity, heat, methane, fertilizer and water. Each device will be designed to serve a single extended family.

James Blackburn of Southern Illinois University in the U.S. will test a wind turbine-driven sanitation system for its ability to raise and maintain temperatures in an insulated container for the removal of pathogens in human waste. The technology could be used in developing countries in the temperate or equatorial zones to reduce the occurrence of diarrheal diseases.

Leonard Tender of the Naval Research Laboratory in the U.S. proposes to develop a low-cost wastewater treatment system comprised of an anaerobic digester that generates organically rich acids to power a microbial fuel cell. If successful, the technology could reduce the burden of waterborne diseases in the developing world while providing useful energy.