Tool/Machine

Caitlyn Butler, Mark Henderson and Brad Rogers of Arizona State University in the U.S. will adapt pit latrines to harvest organic substrates and nitrogen compounds in human waste using microbial fuel cells, which will transform the biochemical energy into carbon-neutral electricity.

Rob Hughes and colleagues at Live & Learn Environmental Education in Cambodia will develop and test floating biodigesters for use by floating communities to treat human waste and convert it to fertilizer and gas for light and cooking. These biodigesters would provide sanitation options and economic opportunities for communities that live on water.

Victor Barinov of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in the U.S. will test the ability of electricity to change the consistency and adhesive properties of dense solids at the bottom of septic tanks. If successful, applying an electrical change via a low-cost battery would allow vacuum pumps to operate at a significantly higher extraction rate to move waste to a treatment facility.

Ioannis Ieropoulos of the University of the West of England, Bristol in the United Kingdom will test the ability of microbial fuel cells to convert urine and sludge into electrical energy while also purifying water by killing disease-causing pathogens in the waste. This technology could enable energy recovery from urine and other waste streams in developing countries.

Daniel Yeh of the University of South Florida in the U.S. will develop a decentralized sanitation system which uses an anaerobic digester and membrane biotechnology to treat waste water and produce methane for energy, clean water, and fertilizer for agriculture.

Andrew Parfitt of the Institute for Residential Innovation (IResI) in the U.S. will develop a compact, stand-alone device that uses a non-microbial system of progressive reactor modules to mineralize biomass such as sewage and food waste and simultaneously generate electrical power. This system could be used in any location to provide sanitation and purified water for a potable water supply.

Gérrard Poinern of Murdoch University in Australia will develop and test an implantable subcutaneous device made from same calcium mineral that bones are made of, which will release contraceptive drugs in a sustained and controlled way for a period of months. Creating of this device uses ultrasound and microwave technology, allowing for eventual low-cost manufacture in developing countries.

John Wyatt of Power-free Education and Technology in South Africa will develop a durable, low-cost pulse oximetry probe for use with a "wind-up" pulse oximeter to monitor oxygen saturation levels in the blood of newborns, sick children and mothers undergoing cesarean section in low resource settings.

Margo Klar of the University of Florida in the U.S. will develop a simple and re-usable ceramic device for cutting umbilical cords to reduce the risk of infection in newborns in developing countries. In limited resource settings, cords are often cut with knives or razor blades, which are unsafe and unclean. In Phase I they tested several ceramic-based prototypes on discarded umbilical cords and developed a design that was easy to clean and use, and enabled a simple hygienic cut while reducing potential bacterial exposure.

Yan Zhu of the University of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in China will build a system based on electroencephalography to monitor the activity of the fetal brain in utero. Due to technical and practical limitations, current methods for measuring brain activity are limited to newborns. However, analyzing development of the fetal brain would reveal new insight into very early stages of neurodevelopment, and could lead to improved treatments for certain disorders.