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back to article New tap turns water into super-cleaning potion

Scientists in Southampton have been given a grant by the Royal Society to develop an ultrasonic tap head that makes water clean better. By introducing bubbles and ultrasound to the water, the new nozzle developed by Professor Tim Leighton and Dr Peter Birkin ramps up the ability of the water to shift dirt and cuts down on …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'll leave off buying the dishwasher just yet then.

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  2. Ironclad

    Prior Art

    I can hear the CEO at Sodastream on the phone to a patent lawyer right now.

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    1. Hud Dunlap
      Reply Icon
      Trollface

      Nothing new

      The semiconductor industry was using this on wafer scrubbers many years ago. The problem was it was cleaning things off that didn't need to come off.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Waiting for the inevitable 'cops cuff someone using this sexually' story.

    Expect to see it in the first Friday bootnotes after the device is released.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Coat

      Unless they make a clean getaway.

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  4. ElNumbre
    Joke

    The Missus...

    I hope they don't put this in washing machines - the missus would be permanently sat upon it.

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  5. TRT Silver badge

    "Get busy with the fizzy Soda Stream"?

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  6. bob 46

    semi precious stones

    This sounds great, although existing ultrasound cleaners can destroy some semi precious stones (I believe emeralds are particularly susceptible). Good idea to remove rings before using!

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      "Good idea to remove rings before using"

      TBH I'd be more worried about it weakening the bones my hand.

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    2. Tom 7
      Reply Icon

      never point a pressure washer

      at your ring.

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      1. SudoPerks
        Reply Icon

        That's what she said,,,,,

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        1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov
          Reply Icon

          "some semi precious stones (I believe emeralds are particularly susceptible)"

          Judging by price I'd say emeralds are quite fully precious stones...

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      2. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Pint

        "never point a pressure washer at your ring"

        Kwik Fit don't do colonic irrigation, but if they did....

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  7. Chazmon

    well im glad this has been shown to work as they trashed one of my cameras when using it to film the process. Turns out electronics and bubbly water not mix!

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  8. Andy Farley

    I want £250,000

    to harness the cleaning power of my thumbnail.

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  9. Lloyd
    Thumb Up

    Dr Peter Birkin???

    Any relation to Rowley Birkin QC? 5 minutes and counting for ep 1.

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  10. cs94njw
    Thumb Up

    Ooooo this might work nicely to remove limescale from taps in heavy water areas?!?

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    1. IDoNotThinkSo
      Reply Icon
      Headmaster

      The title is optional

      I sincerely hope there aren't any _heavy_ water areas.

      4 0
  11. Antonx2

    Ultrasonic sink

    Why not just add an ultrasonic feature to the sink itself, and then just let the ultrasonic feature clean whatever you throw in the sink as a regular ultrasonic cleaner would?

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    1. Tom 7
      Reply Icon

      used to be easy

      as a kid I used to pop a 40khz transducer in a plastic bag and it was driven by a small oscillator and use it clean a lot of vinyl (and shellac) discs in the bath. Cost about a fiver for the lot but seems to be into the several hundreds now. Thats progress.

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  12. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    Less aditives they say, interesting but

    Less aditives they say, interesting but wouldnt adatives effect the the size and formation of bubbles and also effect the density, also effect the propergation of the sonic waves?

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  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    there are still better solutions

    I prefer the old Kitchen Gun and Toilet Grenade for my cleaning!

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  14. Paul Tribe
    Childcatcher

    Cue the inevitable

    TV advertisments insinuating that children and kittens will die of food poisoning/bacteria/viruses unless you fit one to the kitchen sink.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Childcatcher

      Indeed, how we as a species survived up to the point where kitchen wipes were invented is beyond me.

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  15. Dan Paul
    Childcatcher

    Ultrasonic Cleaning - not for the average person (Pedantic Topic Alert)

    If anyone has ever had any experience with commercial ultrasonic cleaners they would know that the sound is beamed in from the side or bottom of the tank and aimed at the parts that need to be cleaned. The cleaning fluid can be water, solvents etc. The sound waves cause cavitation when they reach the surface of the part that needs cleaning and the cavitation (tiny but very powerful implosions) scour the dirt away.

    We have a local manufacturer of such machines in Jamestown, NY USA and they not only warn customers they could suffer skin damage if they put their hands in the solution, they go to great lengths to prevent it happening with electrically locked tank covers and interlocks with the control PLC to shut off the transducers if the tank cover is opened.

    Apparently the cavitation will cause flesh to be macerated as the sound waves hit your bones.

    This technology is nothing like ultrasound imaging which operates at different frequencies and low amplitudes.

    Ultrasonic cleaning uses much higher amplitudes (greater power) in the kilowatt ranges that literally causes what looks like boiling in the cleaning solution, but peels paint and rust off metal parts. They dip a complete nasty, crusty engine block in and it comes out looking like it's brand new in a few minutes.

    One reason why these could "sanitize" better is that anything organic in the cleaning solution will be reduced to almost nothing.

    In other news, "Boffins" develop ceramic armor hand cream so you can use one of these new taps safely.

    Just wait for the lawsuits when "Mom" decides to try to wash one of the children in the kitchen sink with the newfangled kitchen "tap". It certainly won't be suitable for handwashing (unless you enjoy your flesh macerated).

    http://www.ctgclean.com/blackstone-ney-ultrasonics.php

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    1. Tom Maddox Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Go

      On the bright side . . .

      . . . it's a mistake you only make once!

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    2. Michael Dunn
      Reply Icon

      Yeah

      And see what cavitation does to ships' propellers! One of the large expenses of running a fleet.

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  16. illiad
    Trollface

    @ AC 10th November 2011 11:28

    nooooo... but expect more queues at A& E with rather strange injuries to themselves...

    Um, I was cleaning the kitchen window naked, and slipped and fell... :(

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  17. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Professor Leighton

    So it seems he has finished solving puzzles with that little boy and now he's doing science!

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