There's Clean, and There's Future Cyclean

by Gabriel Sistare

Germaphobes, or just concerned citizens, have no fear of pathogens now, because the Cyclean is here for you. Designed to replace the average metal bar that we use to support ourselves in a bus or subway, the Cyclean is a handle that includes a self-cleaning system.

Winner of the 2013 Red Dot Design Award, the Cyclean consists of a handle that rotates through a sponge and sanitation system after each use. To clean the handle, you just need to tug on it and the loop will come out clean on the other side.

All of the parts in the Cyclean can be replaced once the sanitizer is spent and the sponge has accumulated enough mess. While it seems like the apparatus should sanitize the handle without you ever touching it, it’s largely an error-free design. I’d just like to see a version of it that moves the handle through once pressure is released after a person leaves the bus–and once the new rider comes on, there’s a nice clean handle waiting.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

I know its inevitable that germs are going to be out there somewhere, and sometimes, a little contact with them is good for us and our immune systems. But what other areas of our infrastructure could use a design like the Cyclean?