3D Printed Centrifuge for International Health Labs

User Research

Currently, many of their international labs have unreliable electricity, despite having industrial strength centrifuges. To compensate, many lab workers resort to unsafe lab technuques in order to spin samples. These can pose a risk to the lab worker as well as the sample. To begin our design work, we first aimed to gain an understanding of international health labs where the parduct would be used. Research methods included literature research, primary stakeholder interviews, and competitive analysis.  

Synthesis

Based on primary interviews and secondary research, a series of key stakeholders were identified. After researching our stakeholders, we established their location on a matrix determing who would have ifluence vs importance. Finally, we created a list of key findings that represent the larger social-political context the product would be used in. 

NEEDS:

• Lab testing and bacterial research critical to health campaigns such as PEPFAR and Global Health Initiative
• Important to external partners such as WHO, USAID, Global Fund
• In the case of meningitis, critical needs in high risk areas such as Meningitis Belt
• Is in the best interest of the international development community to invest in labs

CHALLENGES: 

• Supply and conditions of the labs do not provide consistent environments
• Educational training of lab staff is inconsistent
• Poor supply chain management leads to inequality in resource distribution and technological gaps in more rural areas
• Inconsistentinfrastructure in place for continuing education and equipment maintenance

Design Research

To initiate our design ideation, we gained a better understanding of how centrifuges operate. We also examined every day objects that could manually mimic the effects of a centrifuge. 

Because the materials of the salad spinner would be our raw materials, we went to household stores to collect different models of salad spinners, and see what brands were most common in a retail environment. We hypothesized that designing around a common model would be more economical

In our collection, 6 common salad spinner models were identified and 5 models were ultimately tested. In additon, we also found that the salad spinner spun with either a pulling, cranking or pushing mechanism. .