Aquatest

Aquatest is a portable test for drinking water that contains multiple chambers in a single device.  Developed by the University of Bristol, designed by Kinneir Dufort, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 15,000 units have been tested since November 2011.  It is expected to be on the market in 2013, priced at about $4 per unit.

Key facts - -

• Testing for the presence of E. coli in developing countries is labor-intensive and time consuming.
• Typically the process requires a skilled technician, a lab, and a one-day turnaround.
• The Aquatest design contains six plastic components.  The cap is removed and filled with water.
• As the cap is closed, a special powder is released into the liquid, to grow the E. coli bacteria so they can be detected.
• The cap is rotated to separate the sample into 11 chambers, allowing the user to quantify the number of bacteria in the sample.
• The device is kept in a  flask-like incubator for 24 hours and a chemical in the powder turns contaminated chambers fluorescent under light from a UV source.
• The cap is rotated again releasing a disinfectant that makes the device safe to throw away.