Introduction

Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, society worldwide has been pushed to a new level of care and cleanliness to avoid infection. From quarantine and social distancing to a national shortage of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, the measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 have drastically changed the daily lives of Americans. A huge part of our lives continues to be our cell phones, one of the dirtiest objects in our homes, yet little to no measures are taken to clean the main object that we take with us everywhere. There have been other devices created with the sole purpose of disinfecting phones, however these devices are also relatively large in size, expensive, or unknown to the public. SaniPhone provides a smaller and more efficient take on these previously created devices.

What Actually Lives on your Phone?

Amidst this pandemic, we continue to wipe down everything from our counters to the groceries we buy, yet how often are you reminded to disinfect the device that is brought from the kitchen to the bathroom to the grocery stores. Are we aware of the types of pathogens and bacteria that live on our phone?

Studies have been done to show both the various pathogens on cell phones as well as how big of a role they play in harboring and transferring these pathogens. For instance, a study done by Yi Chao Foong, Mark Green, and Kathryn Ogden, sampled forty phones from medical students, resident medical officers, registrars, and consultants over a course of 3 months (Foong et al., 2013). Ninety-five percent of these phones had at least one bacterial species present despite the claim that 25% of the phones were cleaned regularly (Foong et al., 2013). These phones were all sampled from staff of a hospital pediatric ward, where the patients already have weaker immune systems. There are currently no strict guidelines regarding the cleansing of mobile phones in hospitals, despite the growth in evidence supporting the harboring of bacteria on mobile phones.

Another study regarding viral RNA of epidemic viruses present on the mobile phones of healthcare workers was done by S. Pillet, P. Berthelot, et al. One hundred nine mobile phones were tested from medical personnel in both the adult and pediatric wards for RNA of epidemic viruses including influenza, rotavirus, and norovirus. 38.5% of these devices contained a presence of a virus RNA, with the most common being the rotavirus (Pillet et al., 2016). Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrheal diseases in infants and young children. Little to no care is taken to limit the transfer of these bacteria from cell phones to elsewhere despite its drastic presence.

Figure 1 to the right provides evidence regarding a study done comparing the bacterial species found on shoe soles to those found on cell phones (Science Stats, 2012). The odd numbered bars show all the various species on shoe soles while the even numbered shows those found on cell phones. The huge similarity of the species found on shoe soles and cell phones, yet the minimal care taken to clean and disinfect cell phones shows how easily these bacteria can be spread.

A more common location where mobile phones tend to be brought into is the kitchen. They’ve become the go-to device for looking at recipes and playing videos or music while preparing food. Another study was done comparing how people handle their mobile phones during food preparation, taking into consideration whether they wash their hands with soap before or after touching their mobile phones or if they just rinse or continue cooking when after touching their mobile phones. 63% of the respondents reported simply rinsing or continuing cooking after touching their mobile device when preparing food (Lando et al., 2018). Not only does this provide a pathway to contaminate the food with bacteria present on the mobile device but it also allows for the transfer of bacteria that could be present in raw food like Salmonella. Thoroughly cleaning our hands when using mobile phones during food preparation can help limit the spread of this bacteria, however it will not be completely effective. Providing a cheap portable device that will disinfect phones will be a great addition to homes, hospitals, and stores nationwide.

SaniPhone vs. Others

 

The idea of a machine that sanitizes your phone is not new at all, there are many products in the market that already do this, but not very efficiently. It’s only logical that people want to clean the object they touch the most throughout the day, and certain companies such as PhoneSoap have created machines that do this with UV light (PhoneSoap, 2020). They have different models with slight differences for the buyer’s preferences, however, there are some design flaws that indicate why they aren’t more popular.

The first thing a customer notices is the size of the machine, with dimensions in inches: 8.5″ L x 5″ W x 1.76″ H, the box is not something someone would carry in a pocket or keep in a small bag as it would take a lot of space and being made from metal, it’s likely to be heavy. The company says the big size is to fit phones of all sizes but people with smaller phones complain that the extra space is an inconvenience. One way the SaniPhone solves this is by offering small, normal and large sizes. That way the customer always finds the perfect box for their phone.

The PhoneSoap disinfectant machine has a lot of positive reviews that agree it works as advertised, however, there is one consistent complaint among reviewers. The machine takes 10 minutes to disinfect the phone. To put that into perspective you can take an antibacterial hand wipe and clean all germs off the phone in 30 seconds. Having a machine that does it for you is great, but not being able to use your phone every time it’s dirty is extremely inefficient and makes you reconsider if it really is a better alternative than manual cleaning. SaniPhone would use alcohol disinfectant that won’t damage the phone and will clean it in matter of seconds rather than minutes.

Some people will argue that UV-C lights would be better for cleaning, but alcohol cleans just as much and is a lot quicker and cheaper than UV lights, as the cheapest one fromPhoneSoap is more of a luxury  of competition and they have to aim for as much profit as possible. SaniPhone isn’t designed this way, it’s not about making money as we would sell it for under $20 to help the average person have a simple machine that can clean their phones easily. You can refer to the graph above for a side by side comparison of the prices of various PhoneSoap models and SaniPhone. Having a cheap product that works better than those in the market right now would make the product popular all around the world and help the fight against the spread of germs and viruses.

Design and Cost

Technical Specifications

 

• Dimensions: 7″ L x 4″ W x 1.5″ H
• Area of disinfection: 6.5″ L x 3.5″ W x 0.8″ H
• Micro USB, 5V, 7500 mA
• Color: white
• Material: plastic
• 12 valve mist spray
• 2 ventilators
• Battery: additional 500 mA

Additional Specifications

• Portable and silent device
• Tray that holds the device when inserted
• Plastic door to close the phone in while cleaning
• Extension tray equipped with soft cotton springs on both sides
• Disposable fluid bottle filled with sanitizing liquid

How to Use

1. Turn on the device.

The sanitized metal tray will come out and the wiping pouch will slide from the back leaving the spraying chamber free to be ready to clean the phone.

1. Place the phone on the tray.
2. The tray slides back in and holds the phone securely in the chamber.

After 5 seconds the device will start spraying the phone with alcohol above 62% from 360 degrees.

1. After 5 seconds of spraying, the pouch will slide back wrapping the phone inside.
2. After 4 seconds the tray will slide out from the box putting the phone from the sponged pouch.

This will fully wipe the phone.

 

The whole process takes 54 seconds.

Cost

The cost of producing the device is $17 after factoring in the cost of material and labor. Our estimate is that the cost of materials, hard plastic for the shell and inner compartment, and plexiglass will be $9 per device. We also need to factor in the cost of labor which will amount to $8 per device.  However, the labor cost could be reduced if the device is manufactured outside of the United States. With this investment cost per device, the product could be sold for anything above $20 per piece, the suggested retail price is $25 which will amount to $8 profit per device from the sale of the device alone Figure 4 shows a percentage-wise breakdown of the material, labor, and profits per device expressed as a fraction of the total cost of the device. Additionally, profit can be generated by selling replacement bottles with the disinfecting liquid. This will ensure customers return for our products.

Conclusion

During this trying time of the pandemic, germs and viruses have come to the forefront and people are more aware of how dirty all surfaces around them are. People have also started paying more attention to that and started looking for ways to keep their homes and possessions germs-free. The product that we are suggesting here will help people gain access to an affordable device that will quickly clean their phone, one of the dirtiest things that comes to close contact with people and their faces. The market for such devices is not fully saturated and there is little competition right now. The limited options are either very expensive, very time consuming, or not convenient enough for people to use them on a regular basis. However, our device is smaller than those currently on the market and much more portable. It sanitizes phones in less than a minute in comparison to competitor’s devices that take more than 10 minutes. Additionally, it is much more affordable at a price point of around $20, a fifth of the price of our competition. If this product is approved and manufactured, it will reach much more people due to its affordability, ease of use, and convenience and will ensure people’s safe interaction with what used to be one of the dirtiest items in the house.

References

Foong, Y. Ch., Green M., and Ogden K. “Mobile phones as a

potential vector of infection in a paediatric ward.” Journal of Paediatrics

and Child Health 49.12 (2013).

Lando, A. M., Bazaco M. C., and Chen, Y.. “Consumers’ Use of Personal

Electronic Devices in the Kitchen.” Journal of Food Protection 81.3 (2018):

437-443.

PhoneSoap. https://www.phonesoap.com/. 08 May 2020.

Pillet, S., Berthelot, P., Gagneux-Brunon, A., Mory, O., Gay, C., Viallon, A., Lucht, F.,

Pozzetto, B., Botelho-Nevers, E. “Contamination of healthcare workers’

mobile phones by epidemic viruses.” Clinical Microbiology and Infection 22.5 (2016): 456.

Science Stats. Science news. 14 March 2012. May 2020.

<https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/full/10.1

002/scin.5591810602>.

 

Reflection