A new mobile sterilisation unit uses solar heat to sterilise surgical instruments, making it easier to perform operations in remote areas where there is no hospital.
Wound infections with multi-resistant germs are not only a problem in Europe. Mobile operations in remote areas, which have to be performed because there are no hospitals within reach, can be particularly dangerous for the patient during surgery.
The company RSO Shift GmbH from Kassel has developed the portable Life Shift Steriliser for this purpose. The unit purifies polluted water, washes the surgical instruments and then sterilises them in the last step. It is important to clean the instruments thoroughly so that germs cannot survive the sterilisation at 120 °C with hot steam by hiding inside of dirt particles. The heat for the Life Shift Steriliser is provided by vacuum tubes that Ritter Solar manufactures specifically for this application. PV modules ensure that the device can function without any external power supply. According to the manufacturer, the device is durable and robust. It survives sand and extreme sunlight and has an intuitive operating concept.
RSO Shift financed the development of the prototype with crowdfunding. Another crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the user test in Africa is currently running. Supporters can find information on the crowdfunding campaign here: https://www.startnext.com/en/lifeshift
Jens-Peter Meyer
Photovoltaic Feed