Waterscope: Enabling rapid, simple bacteria testing

WHAT HUMANITARIAN NEED IS BEING ADDRESSED?

The World Health Organization and UNICEF report that more than 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed sources of drinking water. Contaminated water is a major cause of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio, contributing to over 800,000 deaths annually. The scarcity of safe water also has serious economic, social and environmental impacts, including:

• children missing school due to illness;
• women and girls having less time for economic activities because they bear the burden of collecting water; and
• the degradation of ecosystems caused by poorly managed water resources.

WHAT IS THE INNOVATIVE SOLUTION AND HOW WILL IT IMPROVE EXISTING HUMANITARIAN PRACTICE?

WaterScope is a cartridge-based water testing system that enables people – including in resource-limited and remote settings where need is greatest – to quickly and accurately test water for bacterial contaminants. Key features include:

• Advanced microscopy with artificial intelligence to improve health outcomes and bring economic stability and enhance community well-being.
• A single cartridge unit for sample collection, filtration incubation and analysis, making it user-friendly and reducing the potential for errors.
• Battery-operated and portable design for field use without the need for any fixed infrastructure.
• Digital integration with a cloud-based dashboard for real-time data sharing and immediate action by stakeholders and decision-makers.

WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE?

Following the innovation’s validation, the team began deploying WaterScope systems globally in 2023. This marked a significant expansion of impact, addressing water safety challenges in diverse geographic and socio-economic contexts. The team also made the strategic decision to open source its designs, paving the way for wider partnerships and innovation in the field of water safety worldwide.

INNOVATION POTENTIAL

The WaterScope team is developing a comprehensive testing suite that includes a wider range of parameters including heavy metals, nitrates and other physico-chemical parameters. This expansion will position WaterScope as a single, holistic solution for water quality assessment, suitable in a wide variety of environmental and regulatory contexts. The team is also looking to expand into medical testing and is exploring how its system could be adapted for diagnosing urinary tract infections and other water-related diseases. This could offer a vital health service in regions lacking an adequate medical testing infrastructure.

WaterScope is continually adapting and evolving to improve access to safe water and is actively seeking new partnerships to further the innovation’s reach and impact