Aquatest Incubator

Product Description

Aquatest incubator is a low-cost phase-change incubator initially designed for microbiological water testing particularly in conjunction with the Aquatest kit. However, it can also be adapted for other fields, including clinical microbiology, environmental monitoring, and sample transport. The portable and user-friendly incubator does not require an electrical power supply for testing.

The Aquatest incubator was developed as part of the Aquatest project. This was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. There was only a limited number produced for trials and evaluation. The incubator worked well, although the Aquatest device itself was less successful, therefore the product itself is discontinued for now. ^{Interview with representative, August 2020}

Target Regions

Worldwide

Target SDGs

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Market Suggested Retail Price

$4.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Community

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

This product was supposed to be implemented by 17 organizations in 16 countries especially through water suppliers, health surveillance agencies, international NGOs, and researchers.

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include Body Belt Incubator and Oxfam-DelAgua Single Incubator Kit.

Manufacturing/Building Method

This product is produced and assembled by the University of Bristol in the UK.

Intellectural Property Type

Unknown

User Provision Model

Unknown

Distributions to Date Status

Unknown

Design Specifications

The Aquatest incubator is a small and portable microbiological water testing device that weighs around 2 Kg. The device doesn't require any power source for operation. It utilizes a vacuum flask to provide a high level of insulation and a phase change material (PCM) to store energy in the form of latent heat. The incubator works on the heat transferred from the boiling water to the PCM. 500 mL of boiling water is poured on the incubation chamber of the device and after 30+ mins the water is thrown out of the chamber as the heat would already melt the PCM material inside and make it ready to use. The temperature inside the flask is automatically maintained around 37ºC which is the adequate temperature for the growth of E. coli bacteria. The sample is then put inside the incubator and allowed to rest for 24 hr before the analysis.

Product Schematics