Accessible Hand Washing Device for Individuals with Hand Disabilities Based on CDC Guidelines in the Era of COVID-19

• Yesenia Cardenas
• Elvis Elkasevic
• Jimmy Franco
• Yazmin Leyva

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of hand washing to help prevent the spread of disease. However, millions of people in the U.S. have a disability in their hands and/or forearms, which makes it difficult to adhere to CDC guidelines for hand washing. Currently, patents and products do not exist that can effectively wash hands based on CDC guidelines. Current methods of one-handed washing were determined to be inefficient after a set of experiments confirmed that large areas of the hand were missed. The experiments were conducted using a UV light and a UV reactive lotion that revealed that frequently missed areas accounted for 67% of the hand. The objective is to design an accessible hand-washing device for people who are unable to use both hands for hand washing. The final device is food-safe, non-abrasive, flexible to any sink surface, portable, and dishwasher safe. The novel silicone mat design features a lathering bristle gradient that contours to all surfaces of the hand while cleaning the hard-to-reach wrist area. A brush is included to ensure the nail area is scrubbed and thoroughly cleaned. Final experiments were executed, and results showed that the novel device exceeds in cleaning 85% of the hand.

See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.