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Commercialization of the Phase Change Incubator
Amy SmithSarah Bird
12 September 2006
Incubator Overview
• Keeps things warm• Does not require electricity– Thermally charged in water bath or by
solar heating• Portable • Affordable– 24 hour incubator ~ $100
• Incubates at one temperature only
How It Works…• Utilizes the latent heat of fusion of a phase
change material
Incubator History• Invented in the early 1990’s by Amy Smith as
part of a vaccine project.• In late 1990’s, began using the incubator for
water quality testing in Uganda, Nicaragua and Nepal.
• Further developed the incubator and won the BF Goodrich Collegiate Inventors Competition in 1999
• Current “final” design has been in use since 2003.
Applications
• Microbiology– Water quality testing– Incubation of samples during transport– Remote / resource-poor clinics
• Packaging• Infant care• Other...
Potential Industries: Microbiology• International organizations• Governments– water– health
• Hospitals, clinics, district laboratories • Universities• Clinical researchers• Non-governmental organizations• Community-based organizations
Landscape• Traditional competition– Laboratory equipment manufacturers • Becton, Dickinson and Company • 3M, Hach, Millipore, Delagua ...
– Phase-change specialists
• Non traditional competition (partners?)– Non-profit groups involved in public health• One Health, IDE, AQUATEST
Status
• State of technology– “Ready”– Further tailor product design, branding,
refine manufacturing process, etc...
• Intellectual Property– No patent available in current state– Potential for further manufacturing
advancements which could be protected – Necessary?
Current Outreach• People involved with the development of the
incubator– Amy Smith– Sarah Bird
• Collaborators– IRD/AKU/JHU– CDC – IDE– MIT – Susan Murcott, D-Lab, PSC Fellows– Dartmouth, DIT, Fort Lewis College
Short term goals
• Branding / Marketing• Short term / long term manufacturing
strategy• Fund raising for next stage research
($50K by Dec)• Commercialization strategy
Skills• Marketing / Sales• Manufacturing• Supply Chain • Developing country experience• Health / Microbiology / Lab work• Fund raising (non-profit and for-profit)
Expectations
• Commitment to ethos of the project and the team
• Creativity• Develop a relationship with us• Hard work and fun