The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, has said it produced a new hand sanitiser machine that functions in two ways.
The university said it embarked on the project in a bid to sustain its contribution to the campaign to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The Head of Media and Protocol, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, in a statement, said the hand sanitiser machine was produced through the Technology Park and Incubation Centre of the institution.
According to him, the product could be used in offices, markets and in other public places as protection against the deadly virus.
He said, “The device was conceptualised and developed by four faculty members and two students of our university. The hand washing device is specifically developed to take care of the peculiar situation of our society in the case of, erratic supply of electricity and power failure/outage, usage in places where there is no electricity supply.”
He further explained that the device was made up of two compartments: the mechanical part that enables users to make use of pedal systems to dispense soap, water and sanitiser and the automated part, “the user does not need to interact with the device.”
“The user places the hand close to the dispenser, while the device dispenses soap, water .which runs for 20 seconds in accordance with the recommendation of the World Health Organisation and sanitizer in succession at regulated times.
“A beep signal is heard each time the device is ready to dispense the liquid. The automation is made possible by the inbuilt sensor and other components. In this dual purpose device, the user can switch from manual to automation as the case may require.
“The main features of the device include the sensor and other components, soap outlet, water outlet, sanitizer outlet, pedal for sanitiser, pedal for water and pedal for soap. “
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Joseph Fuwape, described the device to be in tandem with the product development ethos of the university.
