Clean and efficient Dishwashing
USO Ultrasonic Dish Brush
USO is a dish scrubbing solution designed to provide users with the sanitation and efficiency they need for their dishes. It replaces the bacteria-laden kitchen sponge with Ultrasonic Sound technology, reducing water, heat, and effort by eliminating culinary residues and debris from dishware. USO redefines one of the most hated chores in the home.
Dishwashing is the most hated chore in America and there’s no question why: it’s unrelenting, takes time and effort, and can be a very dirty job.
Current Solutions
Pain Points
Guiding Question
People spend over 144 hours per year doing this chore they despise, wasting water, heat, and precious moments of their life.
How can I revolutionize this routine?
Design Criteria
Must
Efficient
Effective
Durable
Clean
Should
Conserve water, heat, & soap
Unobtrusive
Could
Kill Germs
Simple
Multi-functional
Ideation
After sketching, Ultrasonic Technology was found to be a technology that is highly efficient at cleaning dishes, making cavitation cleaning a widely adopted method in the sterilization of medical instruments.
A number of unsuccessful petri plates were made comparing the bacteria cultures of dirty dishes, dishes washed with soap and sponge, and those put into an ultrasonic bath for 5 minutes.
One successful petri plate incubated for three days showed the most bacteria for dirty dishes, less, but still significant bacteria for the washed dishes, and no bacteria grown on the portion dedicated to dishes exposed to ultrasonic frequency.
Several experiments tested the efficacy of ultrasonics to clean dishes.
Results indicate that exposure to ultrasonic frequency causes residue and grease to disintegrate, and cleaner dishes overall.
Light-to-medium-soiled dishes were clean within 5 minutes of an ultrasonic bath, while heavily soiled dishes took 10 minutes..
Foam, CAD, and 3D-printed models were made to test the ergonomics, usability, use cases, functionality, and overall form.
From this I learned to lean into non-handedness and ergonomics.
USO’s button activates an internal ultrasonic transducer, when the device is washing dishes, the ultrasonic frequency travels through the water to the dishes to aid in scrubbing effort, sanitation, and efficiency.
Ultrasonics act as a self-cleaner, sanitizing the sponge each time, prolonging the life of the sponge.
When the life of the sponge is over, it can easily be swapped out for another, with its dovetail joint.
USO’s thin aluminum body band matches with a band on the base, providing contact charging whenever not in use.
USO’s light ring illuminates while operating, for a better look at dishes.
USO’s charging base contains an interior of Diatomaceous earth, promoting ultrafast drying with antimicrobial properties.
USO has 3 modes:
1. Light Clean: Press USO’s button and clean as usual, letting water run over for swift and hygienic cleaning.
2. Stain Removal: Fill dish with water, press USO’s button, and place it face down. Wait 5 minutes to tackle stubborn residues.
3. Batch Cleaning: Fill sink with water and dishes, press USO’s button, submerge the brush, and wait for 10 minutes for cleanup.
Multiple grip configurations, from relaxed handshake to engaged palm, allows users to engage USO with scrubbing power.
Its asymmetricality addresses ergonomics and non-handedness, giving all users a way to scrub.
