Mrs. Clean UVC Produce Showcase

Team 5 devised an optimal solution to a problem that affects millions of customers worldwide. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery stores have had to change their strategies overnight to adjust to safety guidelines and changing customer behavior. To get a deeper grasp into how customers are affected by the issues brought about by the pandemic, the team conducted twenty interviews of people from different demographic groups. The findings were that most customers are hesitant to leave their homes to shop for food necessities and took several precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of their food. The team’s response to this crisis is to tackle the area of the grocery with a high risk of contamination, the produce aisle. To remedy this problem and relieve customers of the fear associated with it, Team 5 conceptualized different approaches to the problem and assessed stakeholders’ needs through quantitative and qualitative measures. Among the forty concepts conceived, only one confronted the problem efficiently and effectively: sustainable UVC lamps installed strategically on existing displays. Through pairwise comparison using an AHP Matrix, the team prioritized the stakeholders’ needs and addressed them accordingly. The most significant and crucial requirements were the safety of the design, accessibility, and disinfection effectiveness. Subsequently, the team benchmarked solutions from competitors to further improve their concept. The team went through a second round of concept generation using the expected features and stakeholder needs developed through benchmarking and formulated eight different designs. Among the eight designs, two were selected based on how well they meet the criteria using a concept selection matrix. The team then chose the design that included the best combination of features. Next, they validated the concept with different potential users through the prototyping process and received feedback to improve the design further. The three different beta prototypes allowed the team to test the design’s desirability and technical feasibility. After receiving feedback on the beta prototypes through user interviews, the team implemented changes to refine the design to fit the stakeholders’ needs better. The team’s final design is a sleek double-decker showcase that contains copper-lined produce holders. Directly above each copper tray, a UVC light fixture is installed that is comprised of four KrCl excimer lamps that are operated automatically through the utilization of a dual tech sensor. The excimer lamps use micro-plasma technology to safely and efficiently kill contaminants on the surface of fruits and vegetables. The sensor is programmed to turn the excimer lamps off when motion/occupancy is detected within nine feet of the lamp, and turn on when no motion is detected. This design allows customers to freely select produce while ensuring the display remains uncontaminated keeping in mind customers’ comfort and needs. The final prototype was then used to evaluate whether the design met the design requirements defined during the benchmarking step of the design process. Through several tests and extensive research, the design passed all eight target specifications. The design was deemed safe by successfully passing all 25 trials that tested the reliability of the built-in occupancy/motion sensor. It was proven to be 100% accessible and 100% mercury-free. Additionally, its efficacy was calculated and was higher than the target value, signifying its energy efficiency and ability to inactivate pathogens within 8 minutes. It was found to be easy to install, more compact, and economical than other UVC lamps. In the future, the design could be implemented in other parts of the grocery store and different settings by adjusting parts of the code to fit the desired use.