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Introducton
GermPass
Les Martens
Lead Product Designer
Feb. 2021 - Sep. 2022
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The Company
The Company
I joined MicroLumix™ as the first employee in Feb. 21', and a year later the company had 6 working prototypes for a variety of common public touch points. Our official product launch was held on Feb. 22' and the R&D team soon grew from one, to a dedicated team of Six. Myself the Designer; a Mechanical Engineer, Software Engineer, Electrician, UVC Specialist, and Injection Molding Expert worked in unison to bring the best possible product to market. Preventing the transmission of infectious diseases was our primary goal.
As employee's joined the team, and I transferred my duties to these specialist, I learned valuable trade knowledge from each of them along the way.
In 23' GermPass™ is nominated for multiple CES Innovation Awards and GermPass™ had product on display the following year at CES 24'
To learn more please visit the company website at
The Product
The Product
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Motion sensor automatically opens the unit upon approach
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Bluetooth connection between units on both sides of doors
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Cleaning cycles run when the area is clear, so foot traffic is never impeded
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The units remains closed keeping the handle sanitary until someone approaches
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30 second, adhesive installation
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One size fits most applications
Key Product Features
Bathroom Latches, Door Handles, Elevator Buttons, Hospital Levers, Storefront Handles
From Left to Right
My Role
My Role
Lead Product Designer
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Product Design Planning
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3D Modeling Specialist (Fusion 360 & SolidWorks)
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Prototype Fabricator
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Electrical Technician
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Patent Research and Documentation
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Product Renders (KeyShot, Blender, & SW Visualize)
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Rudimentary Arduino Prototype Coding
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Component Research and Sourcing
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3D Printing Technician
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Life Cycle Testing
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UL Certification Communications and Documentation
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Drivetrain System Design and Trouble Shooting
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Motion Sensor Integration and Trouble Shooting
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New Concept Early Development & Digital Sketching Specialist
I was solely responsible for the first prototype and initial proof of concept.
Today I have completed over 35 different prototype iterations for 6 of the products shown on this webpage.
My Contributions as
Design Parameters
Design Parameters
When I joined the Microlumix™ I was the sole employee under the owner. I had grand ideas of tackling this design problem from the ground up, but a patent was already in the works. So instead, my first objective was to make the owners design a reality. These designs provided a proof of concept, but left ample room for improvement. We started the Journey with 6 main prototypes targeting Bathroom Latches, Door Handles, Elevator Buttons, Hospital Levers, and Storefront Handles
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Most designs used nested stacking parts with a rear plate to hold them together. This would reduce hardware and unit assembly times down the road, reducing assembly cost in return.
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I was tasked with the challenge of making as many parts out of 3D printed materials as possible to reduce cost by means of using injection molded parts at scale.
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The drive is always be emergency conscious, allowing for manual operation if product fails.
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We started with the cheapest possible motion sensors and drive system to save cost but it would become clear that more premium options would be necessary to increase product reliability.
Initial Directives
Conscious Attributes
My Creative Solutions
My Creative Solutions
The original GermPass™ concepts were asymmetric boxes.
This means that 2 sets of steel molds (used for injection molding plastic parts) would need to be made.
1 set of parts for right handed door handles, and 1 complete set of mirrored parts for units made for left handed door handles.
Having to make and update a "mirror image" of all product parts to meet this need is very costly.
Costly Design Flaw
Product Evolution
Before I parte
Thoughtful design cuts potential manufacturing cost by 50%
I saw the potential for symmetric concepts very early and focused on symmetry as soon as I was given the design freedom to stray away from the original design concepts. This new design could be put on both left and right handed door handles. When I first revealed this new concept to management they were not fond of having reversed text on the belly of the unit. However, I explained that if Microlumix™ were to spend .5 million dollars in the near future to have molds made for mass production, this new design would save them 50% of that cost. Potentially saving Microlumix™ an estimated $250,000 on manufacturing cost based on these numbers.
This was the original design for the typical aluminum handle found on storefront doors.
This design is installed by removing an adhesive backing from the unit before sliding it down the handle and sticking it to the door frame. This design worked but left room for improvement.
Installation Challenges
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The door keyhole is nearly inaccessible as you can see to the left and there is a gap behind the unit that varies depending on the door window frame height seen below. The backside of this design is also unappealing and this is easily viewed from the other side of the glass door.
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To overcome the flaws of the previous prototype mentioned above I came up with a new and clever way to mount the unit to the door handle rather than the door frame.
To mount the unit; slide it onto the handle, insert the red piece into the opening, and tighten 4 screws.
This new design removes the need for adhesives, drastically reduced the size of the unit, and the door keyhole and handle are both much more accessible.
This design also proved to be very robust and steadfast.
Installation Solutions
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These aluminum push/pull levers are common in hospitals.
These levers are designed to be easily used by the disabled or engaged by the hip, wrist, or elbow of guest and staff to reduce the spread of germs.
However the original unit designed for this handle makes the handle less accessible and forces the user to use their fingers.
See My resolution to these issues in the video below.
Accessibility Issues
Accessibility Solutions
To overcome these design challenges I replaced the box chamber with a swinging arm attached to a servo motor. As you can see in this video, the arm swings onto the handle for cleaning. By placing the driving motor on a slight angle I found that the arm would then swing towards the door when tucked away thus further reducing the unit housing size. I later added a brush guard to the opening in the cleaning arm that would allow for the paddle handle to enter but blinding UVC light is then contained during a cleaning cycle.
UVC Simulations
After doing some research on the focal length and dissipation of the UVC rays emitted by our LEDs, I modeled a cone to represent the spread of each lens. This allowed me to accurately predict the efficacy of the units based on LED placement. With the help of our in house UVC specialist, we then used a ray tracing simulation to test the model efficacy before committing to real world prototyping and testing.
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Toilet Seat Concepts
POS & ATM Concepts
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Fuel Pump Concept
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GermPass Patent - Before Hire
This patent material was already undergoing review by the US patent office when I joined the Microlumix™ team.
To see my work for comparison check out the Unit Assembly Instructions below.
Illustration & Design - After Hire
I designed these Assembly Instructions while employed at Microlumix™
There is notable improvement over the patent illustrations above which I did not have a part in illustrating.
Product Evolution
Product Evolution
Lever Door Handle
Phase Two - Fusion 360 Redesign
Phase Three - SolidWorks DFM
Phase One - Proof of Concept
Restroom Stall Latch
Phase Three - SolidWorks DFM
Phase One - Proof of Concept
Phase Two - Fusion 360 Redesign
Hospital Push/Pull Handle
Phase Three - SolidWorks DFM
Phase Two - Fusion 360 Redesign
Phase One - Proof of Concept
Storefront Offset Pull Handle
Product Launch
Product Launch - Feb. 2022
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There are many other obvious and arguably better solutions that would completely forego the need to touch these handles.
However these design concepts were outside of the design parameters set by management based on the pending patent.
So under the given parameters, and with consideration to the many design challenges overcome along the journey, I stand behind the design choices I have made with confidence. I know that I tackled this job with a never ending dedication to design improvement.
CES 2024 Showcase
Nominated for 2023 CES Innovation Awards
2024 Consumer Electronics Showcase - Vegas, Nevada
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Product Publicity
Product Publicity
Photo Gallery
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