• Users Online: 63464
  • Home
  • Print this page
  • Email this page

   Table of Contents      
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Year : 2021  |  Volume : 69  |  Issue : 4  |  Page : 999-1000

Do it yourself automatic liquid dispenser for the COVID-19 aeon


1 Retina Fellow, Vitreo-Retina Services, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Medical Officer, IOL and Cataract Services, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
3 Senior Medical Officer and Head of Department, IOL and Cataract Services and Paediatric Ophthalmology, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
4 Chief Medical Officer, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Date of Web Publication16-Mar-2021

Correspondence Address:
Dr. Prithvi Chandrakanth
Chandradevi, Opp Super Petrol Pump, Behind ‘QRS‘, Kannur Road, W. Naddakavu, Kozhikode - 673 011, Kerala
India
Login to access the Email id

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_2996_20

Rights and Permissions

How to cite this article:
Chandrakanth P, Duggirala V, Narendran K, Narendran V. Do it yourself automatic liquid dispenser for the COVID-19 aeon. Indian J Ophthalmol 2021;69:999-1000

How to cite this URL:
Chandrakanth P, Duggirala V, Narendran K, Narendran V. Do it yourself automatic liquid dispenser for the COVID-19 aeon. Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 2021 [cited 2024 Mar 28];69:999-1000. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ijo/pages/default.aspx/text.asp?2021/69/4/999/311242



Dear Editor,

The healthcare workers (HCWs) who are the frontline fighters during this pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are the ones most vulnerable to get infected. The in-hospital transmission of the disease has been one of the major routes of spread and, in recent times, we have seen an increase in the number of deaths of HCWs.[1] As an HCW coming into contact with a COVID-19–positive patient is inevitable, maintaining hand hygiene (HH) is one of the key factors in preventing the spread of the disease.[2] Evidence from the literature has shown that frequent hand washing reduced the transmission risk of the virus by 55% and has the advantage of simple operation, strong sustainability, and high health benefit.[3],[4] A dispenser to provide liquid soap/hand sanitizer for the same is a necessity and a noncontact dispenser would be a boon. Recently, there have been various videos on do-it-yourself automatic hand dispensers on the Internet. The components required to make a similar device are easily available on leading e-commerce websites (Amazon, Flipkart etc) as DIY automatic hand sanitizer kits. An automatic liquid dispenser was made using an old Tarsons autoclavable wash bottle which was used as a reservoir to store the liquid (soap/hand rub). The outlet nozzle of the bottle top from where the liquid was dispensed was connected to the mini submersible pump outlet using an intravenous tube (IV Tube) and the wire from the pump was pulled out through the 2-mm hole made on the bottle top. This setup was then inserted into the bottle and closed. An IR proximity sensor and a TIP32C transistor were then fixed on top of the bottle and stuck using a liquid adhesive and the circuit was completed and connected to a USB cable using a soldering gun [Figure 1]. The bottle was filled with liquids such as hand sanitizers, liquid soaps, etc. The device was then connected to a power source. The device works when we bring our hand near the sensor which completes the circuit and then pumps the liquid in the bottle through the nozzle on the bottle top. This device's advantages are it is inexpensive, not bulky, easily transportable, and, most importantly, non-contact. This simple and innovative instrument provides a noncontact method of HH, thus reducing the spread of infection.
Figure 1: (a) Material used - i. USB cable ii. Intravenous Tube (IVt tube) iii. Insulated wire iv. 1k ohm resistor v. TIP32c Transistor vi. IR proximity sensor vii. Tarsons autoclavable wash bottle viii. Mini submersible pump ix. Soldering gun (b) Closed circuit of the Do-it-yourself liquid dispenser

Click here to view


Acknowledgments

  1. Mr. Vignesh Bhojan, Manager (Patient Care), Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore
  2. Mr. Gowtham Raj, Instrument Department, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore
  3. Miss. Durga parvathy, Instrument Department, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore.


Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.



 
  References Top

1.
Chan JF-W, Yuan S, Kok K-H, To KK-W, Chu H, Yang J, et al. A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: A study of a family cluster. Lancet 2020;395:514-23.  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.
Zhou P, Huang Z, Xiao Y, Huang X, Fan X-G. Protecting Chinese healthcare workers while combating the 2019 novel coronavirus. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2020;41:745-6.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.
Grayson ML, Melvani S, Druce J, Barr IG, Ballard SA, Johnson PDR, et al. Efficacy of soap and water and alcohol-based hand-rub preparations against live H1N1 influenza virus on the hands of human volunteers. Clin Infect Dis 2009;48:285-91.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4.
Jefferson T, Del Mar C, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, Bawazeer GA, et al. Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses: Systematic review. BMJ 2009;339:b3675.  Back to cited text no. 4
    


    Figures

  [Figure 1]



 

Top
 
 
  Search
 
    Similar in PUBMED
   Search Pubmed for
   Search in Google Scholar for
    Access Statistics
    Email Alert *
    Add to My List *
* Registration required (free)  

 
  In this article
References
Article Figures

 Article Access Statistics
    Viewed6808    
    Printed40    
    Emailed0    
    PDF Downloaded79    
    Comments [Add]    

Recommend this journal