INEGI develops equipment which promises to improve the hygiene of male public bathrooms
12 February 2019
The hygiene of public bathrooms is a social concern, which impacts the lives of all citizens everyday. Men’s bathrooms in particular tend to be more problematic. With the aim of improving the situation, INEGI developed the "cleanman", an innovative equipment, which intends to be the first product specifically designed to enable intimate male hygiene, post-micturition, in public places.
"Although the problem has been addressed in many ways, regardless of the culture in which it originates, no previous solution has considered all variables in a holistic approach," explains Ana Reis, the manager of this project at INEGI.
To use the "cleanman”, simply remove the sanitary wipes from the dispenser and discard them in the collecting vessel. So far, nothing new. The innovation is in the integrated intelligent system that will automatically compact and hide the discarded waste and at the same time activate a discharge to sanitize the urinal and the collecting vessel, eliminating any contaminants and odors.
Although still a prototype, the equipment has already been tested in a real-world environment and the results "were surprising in terms of adoption, having been an increase in the percentage of use over the test period, indicating that this was a real necessity that may even have an impact on our society, regarding health conditions and quality of life," said the project manager.
The idea was born after a hygiene and cleaning products wholesale company in the north of Portugal, Higidouro, identified a gap in the market. The company partnered with INEGI for the product’s development and design. In view of the results obtained, INEGI has already submitted an European patent application and is currently looking for a partner interested in industrializing the product.
"Although the problem has been addressed in many ways, regardless of the culture in which it originates, no previous solution has considered all variables in a holistic approach," explains Ana Reis, the manager of this project at INEGI.
To use the "cleanman”, simply remove the sanitary wipes from the dispenser and discard them in the collecting vessel. So far, nothing new. The innovation is in the integrated intelligent system that will automatically compact and hide the discarded waste and at the same time activate a discharge to sanitize the urinal and the collecting vessel, eliminating any contaminants and odors.
Although still a prototype, the equipment has already been tested in a real-world environment and the results "were surprising in terms of adoption, having been an increase in the percentage of use over the test period, indicating that this was a real necessity that may even have an impact on our society, regarding health conditions and quality of life," said the project manager.
The idea was born after a hygiene and cleaning products wholesale company in the north of Portugal, Higidouro, identified a gap in the market. The company partnered with INEGI for the product’s development and design. In view of the results obtained, INEGI has already submitted an European patent application and is currently looking for a partner interested in industrializing the product.