Tool/Machine

Nathan McEachen of TerraFrame Inc. in the U.S. will build an extract, transform and load (ETL) plugin so that diverse types of data on disease incidence, spread, and interventions, recorded with different methods can be easily uploaded into the District Health Information Software version 2 (DHIS2) open-source platform, to better inform disease elimination efforts. The DHIS2 is widely used particularly across sub-Saharan Africa to report, analyze and distribute disease-relevant information.

Edward Thomsen of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom will build an open-source software platform tailored to support efforts to eliminate malaria by amalgamating desirable features from two existing disease data management platforms. The Disease Data Management System (DDMS) is an existing platform that integrates multiple datasets and supports operational decision-making through unique functionality such as automated outbreak alerts.

Mike Allen of Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the United Kingdom proposes to develop a low cost, vortex-based bioreactor that is driven by hand or a bicycle to separate fecal matter from waste water and at the same time introduce bactericidal agents to decontaminate the waste for recycling or safe disposal. In Phase I they designed and built a desk-top vortex bioreactor to test different biocidal agents for their ability to kill bacteria, and to be physically immobilized to enable long term use.

Steven Dentel of the University of Delaware in the U.S. will test the ability of a low-cost polymeric breathable membrane liner to accelerate the drying and disinfection of fecal waste in pit latrines, while protecting surrounding groundwater from being contaminated with pathogens and chemicals. Breathable membranes are hydrophobic, allowing only air or water vapor to pass through them.

Marcos Fioravanti and Chris Canaday of Fundación In Terris in Ecuador will develop an easy-to-use urine-diverting dry toilet that uses a pedal to "flush" feces into a pipe and mix the waste with dry material for faster composting. Following toilet use, pushing the pedal turns an auger in the pipe, withdrawing the waste to eliminate odors and to enable safe sanitation, after which it can be used as fertilizer. In Phase I, they designed, built and laboratory-tested three prototypes with varying designs.

John Spencer of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom along with Sean Deoni of the University of Colorado in the U.S. are assessing the trajectory of brain development during the first two years of age using a range of imaging, physiological and behavioral assessment tools to understand how development is affected by environmental factors such as nutrition, stress, and parent-child interaction.

Michael Oluwagbemi from Loftyinc Allied Partners Limited in Nigeria is developing an affordable mobile phone-based payment card reader with an array of functions (ProNov) so that poor, small-scale retailers in Nigeria can accept digital payments from customers, and better manage their businesses to reduce costs. Low-income retailers handle around 90% of transactions in Nigeria, but many have no way of accepting card payments.

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.

Gary Foutch and AJ Johannes of Oklahoma State University in the U.S. propose to develop a small-scale device in which an auger forces feces and other solid wastes device through a die that results in high temperatures and pressure that dewaters the waste and destroys microorganisms. The device could reduce odor, insects, surface and ground water contamination, and the associated spread of diseases.

Jing Ning of Beijing Sunnybreeze Technology Inc. in China will develop a human fecal waste disposal system that uses wind or solar power to load waste from septic tanks or cesspools into a column, where the waste dehydrates via solar energy, and then is combusted to kill remaining pathogens and reduce its volume. This system is designed to be affordable, durable, and low-maintenance, allowing for rapid, onsite waste disposal.