Developing countries are struggling to perform the basic laboratory tests necessary to detect pathogens because of a lack of electricity and equipment. This results in unsanitary living conditions, contaminated drinking water, and a lack of basic health care. Standard centrifuges used in hospitals today are not a viable option because they are electrically powered and cost in the thousands of dollars range. Cheaper designs exist but are either too bulky, limited in spin speed due to physical constraints, or aren’t durable. This device will be easily moved by one person of average strength and dexterity, not require electricity, cost less than $250 to produce, easily operated by a single person, capable of handling the varying speed requirements of multiple tests, and capable of handling multiple test tube sizes. The main constraints are the size, weight and ease of use of the prototype, since it is required to be operable by one person. The goals of this project are to provide the customer with a functioning prototype of the centrifuge that includes a kit with the necessary test materials, a user’s manual and a technical paper describing the functions of the centrifuge and the kit.

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Project Name

Human-Powered Centrifuge

Project Number

P16415

Project Family

Save the World

Start Term

Fall 2015

End Term

Spring 2016

Faculty Guide

Chris Leibfried

Primary Customer

Sarah Brownell

Sponsor (financial support)

H.O.P.E.

Project Management

Project Photos and Videos

Imagine RIT

Problem Definition

Systems Design

Subsystem Design

Preliminary Detailed Design

Detailed Design

Build & Test Prep

Subsystem Build & Test

Integrated System Build & Test

Integrated System Build & Test with Customer Demo

Customer Handoff & Final Project Documentation