HP shows off its washable keyboard (with Unotron Technology)

Reposted Courtesy of www.smartplanet.com
(http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/hp-shows-off-its-washable-keyboard/3273/)

HP shows off its washable keyboard

By Dana Blankenhorn | Mar 1, 2010 | 5 Comments

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I saw a washable keyboard today. I even took a picture of it.

Problem is, it didn’t look like anything special. It was just a keyboard.

And this was very washable, which made the HIMSS health IT conference the perfect place to show it off. You can not only use bleach or detergent, but all those special chemicals used on biohazards of all sorts.

The HP “solution engineers” who showed it to me said the technology is called SpillSeal, but the final product is cheap as chips. The present suggested retail price for the washable keyboard is $40.

HP has been showing the technology in its booths for a few months now. It stood out at HIMSS because of the nature of the environment, filled as it is with precious bodily fluids and workers who would love a clean keyboard because they know full well what germs can do.

Best of all the technology can applied to any design of keyboard. In a few months, the engineers said, they will have one without a wire in the back, just a USB connector. Plug WiFi or Bluetooth into that bad boy and you’re wireless.

Or you can put it on high end keyboards, such as the $60 “hill” type I use at my office, with each hand on one side of a little hill so it feels like you’re playing a virtual accordion.

You know the way people “wash” keyboards now? My good wife demonstrated a few weeks ago, when she finally decided to attack my workspace with her mad cleaning skills.

She picked it up, turned it over, and shook vigorously, It was like a snowstorm inside, with bits of old popcorn, hairs, dandruff, and what-all raining down on my embarrassed head.

Of course, she noted, that didn’t really clean it. You can’t clean a keyboard, she said.

Oh, yeah? Now you can.

Do you have any idea how many laptops this SpillSeal technology could save? How many teenagers? That’s a two-bagger with me. I’ve got a teenager with a laptop. I don’t want to have to buy a new PC next time he “accidentally” spills his Coke onto the keys.

Now I won’t have to.

Few tech stories in the last year have given me as good a feeling as this one.

Where is MRSA?

Happy Monday everyone!

I came across another interesting article that I wanted to share with you. This article, located on Pharmacy Practice News, details recent findings of drug-resistant bacteria among hospital staff.

Despite hand hygiene awareness programs and increased number of antibacterial stations, dangerous germs are still around every corner in hospitals.

In fact, in the final paragraph, the author cites a study that revealed computer equipment in operating rooms as a large breeding ground for these harmful bacteria. Hospitals can help prevent the spread of germs and decrease the rate of infections by implementing washable technology. Unotron (www.unotron.com) offers air tight hermitically sealed medical grade washable keyboards, mice, and smart card readers. Completely sealed keyboards prevent bacteria from becoming lodged in drain holes.

Please see the full article below.

Have a great night.


ICU Study Turns Up Drug-Resistant Germs on Staffers’ Clothing
MRSA, other dangerous microbes hiding on white coats, in pockets

Adam Marcus

Hospitals are well-known sources of drug-resistant bacteria, so it should come as no surprise that the germs might occasionally hitchhike on the clinicians who work there.

Hungarian researchers have found that multidrug-resistant pathogens lurk on both the hands and clothing of hospital staff in the intensive care unit (ICU). The researchers even found a positive sample for the particularly problematic microbe, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, in the pocket of an ICU clinician’s coat.

For the study, Istavan Batai, MD, an anesthesiologist at the University of Pécs, and his colleagues looked for drug-resistant microbes on the hands and hospital coats of 57 ICU staffers at the teaching facility. The researchers found multidrug resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii on seven clinicians, with all but one of the positive samples involving the coats and coat pockets, along with the single positive test for S. aureus. All of the resistant strains matched samples obtained from patients.

Dr. Batai’s group said the study indicates that hospitals trying to control the spread of drug-resistant bacteria must look beyond hand hygiene. Protective aprons and policies to encourage clinicians to change their coats more than once a day might help, they added.

The researchers presented their findings at the 2010 annual meeting of the International Anesthesia Research Society (abstract S-215).

The study is not the first to show that potentially harmful bacteria can be found virtually wherever in the hospital they are sought. In a 2002 article, researchers tested 232 pairs of scissors and found that nearly 80%—particularly those used by nurses or in a communal setting—carried bacteria (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:147-151). And Japanese researchers reported at the 2006 meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists that computer equipment, such as mice and keyboards, in the operating room frequently hosted bacteria, including drug-resistant strains (abstract A948).

Protective Glass For Your Carpet?

Did my last post scare you into cleaning your keyboard today?

Being asked to write this blog, I made sure to do some research. It is amazing how many gadgets are out there on the market and being developed to reduce germs and bacteria. I wanted to share with you this one story that I found especially interesting. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5379239,00.html

This article profiles a Nanotech film which protects items from dirt, germs, and spills.

"It’s flexible, thinner than a human hair and protects everything from cups to concrete against liquids, dirt and germs. It's called 'Liquid Glass,' and is the latest trend in the world of nanotechnology."

What will the future hold for this nanotechnology? As quoted in the article, Nanopool-founder, Dieter Schwindt states he is confident that :"Within the next two to five years nothing will be produced without this technology." Will this hold true? We will have to wait and find out.

Hello Blogging World!

Hello,

This is my first of soon to be many posts.

I want everyone reading this to take a look down at your keyboard. Go ahead.... really look at it. Does it look clean?

Even if there doesn't appear to be any visible dirt or crumbs, your keyboard and mouse are a breeding ground for germs. In fact, a study conducted by the University of Arizona found that there are significantly more germs on a keyboard than on a toilet seat! If that's not enough to make you want to reach for the hand sanitizer, I don't know what is.

Unotron (www.unotron.com) offers fully washable keyboards and mice. These tech gadgets ensure that your desktop remains squeaky clean. Each key is sealed with their spillseal technology. Unotron's products can be cleaned with a hospital-grade disinfectant or bleach for the average household.

I don't know what this blogging experience will lead to, but I will tell you one thing, my hands will be happy, healthy, and clean throughout it.

Happy Typing! Check back tomorrow for my next entry.