Antibacterial Door Handle

One of the most common ways germs are spread is through touch. This is especially pertinent in public areas where multiple people touch the same object such as door handles. Millions of pathogens, such as viruses can be found on door handles. In the future, these novel viruses could lead to global pandemics. It is important to find ways to eliminate pathogen presence on surfaces such as door handles in order to prevent the spread of illnesses in the future. My idea is to make a door handle that uses electricity to send a current through the handle to kill the virus

What you will need:

- 3D printer

- Aluminum Foil

- 9-volt battery

- Wires

- Glue stick

- Switch (optional)

The first step is to model the handle in a 3D modeling software such as Fusion 360 or Autodesk Inventor. Many dimensioned drawings of door handles can be found online in order to help you come up with your design. Be sure to model a spot inside your handle for a battery. Next, print your handle using a 3D printer.

The special part of the handle comes with the aluminum foil covering. The aluminum foil will allow an electrical current to pass through the handle and kill possible pathogens on its surface. To create the aluminum foil surfaces, trace the 3D printed handle on a sheet of aluminum foil and cut it out. Next cut out a sliver of foil in the middle of the tracing in order to maximize the electrical surface area and make it easier to wire up. You can attach the aluminum foil to the handle using a glue-stick.

Put a 9-volt battery inside the handle and attach wires to it. From there, attach the other ends of the wires to your aluminum foil surfaces. Make sure that each piece of aluminum foil has a positive wire on one side and a negative wire on the other so that a current will flow through the foil. If you want to get fancy, wire in a switch to turn the handle on and off.