IDEABATIC – SMILE, SMart last-mILE cooling system


Overview

According to the WHO, pre-COVID-19, 20 million children worldwide still had no access to basic vaccinations, and 2 to 3 million children died each year of a vaccine-preventable disease. Globally, 20-50% of vaccines are wasted, and in remote areas, 85% spoilage has been reported. This equates to at least 1 billion dollars wasted every year. A major reason for this is that during the last few miles of delivery (‘last-mile’) vaccines become damaged by fluctuations in temperature.

However, vaccine carriers used in the field are essentially cool boxes, i.e. boxes filled with ice packs. They either freeze vaccines or last barely a day when in use. Moreover, human error and incorrect handling further accelerate spoilage. 

IDEABATIC’s solution is SMILE: a patented, smart, last-mile cooling system. SMILE is the only vaccine carrier that reduces human error and spoilage. It is low-tech and fool-proof. SMILE can last for 3-6 days without power while monitoring and displaying the remaining cool-life. SMILE will help in last-mile applications for temperature-sensitive products. SMILE will improve efficiency in critical research and in end-to-end cold-chain applications worldwide.

The Technology

We developed SMILE to solve the crucial last-mile cold-chain problem. SMILE is like a robust, portable vaccine vending machine with a backpack, designed for travel over rugged terrain. There is nothing like SMILE out there — a cooling system that minimises human error, reduces waste and improves efficiency. 

  • Self-closing door and air-locking carousel system: These minimise human error that leads to massive heat transfer and hence damage to the vaccines.
  • One-ice pack design for cooling: The one-ice pack design eliminates the possibility of using an incorrect amount of ice. The single ice pack has a larger thermal mass and it sits in the centre of the device so it takes longer to melt, resulting in a longer cool-life.
  • Universal vaccine holders: Our vaccine holders are designed to protect the vaccines from breakage and they can accommodate the most common types of vaccine package from vials to plastic tubes.
  • All-in-one backpack: The backpack is waterproof and shockproof. It has comfortable hip belts and chest belts as you would find on good quality mountain backpacks. It has compartments where vaccination essentials such as dry goods can be stored.
  • Temperature monitoring and remaining cold-life electronics add-on: this add-on can be included to provide information for users and for us to provide bespoke functions in the future such as tracking and data logging.

SMILE has been iterated, tested and field-proven. We conducted a successful field trial in Madagascar at the end of 2019.

The Team

Kitty Liao is the founder and CEO of Ideabatic. She has 13 years of experience in project management, low-temperature physics research, ultra-low-temperature systems research and development, temperature sensor development, product design for resource-limited settings and user-centred design. She has been awarded an Enterprise Fellowship and life-long support from the Royal Academy of Engineering since 2018.

Media

  • 2-minute introduction to Ideabatic [YouTube]
  • 6-minute introduction to Ideabatic [YouTube]