29/01/2015
A company based in Valencia named Bluemarionge Business has announced that following a collaboration project with Tecatel it has succeeded in developing the world’s first bio-degradable and disposable TV remote control, catering for a perceived need in the hotel and hospital market.
The reason for the pioneering new invention is that remote controls in hospitals and hotels are known to be hotbeds for bacteria: a University of Houston study reported that hotel televisions are the worst affected by bacteria, and at the same time the design of most conventional remote controls makes them very hard to clean properly.
The idea put forward by Bluemarionge Business is that each patient or guest should be issued with his or her own remote control for the duration of their stay. On leaving or being discharged, they can then take their devices home with them if they wish to do so.
In hotels, the marketing angle is that this will add perceived value to the rooms on offer at very little cost, and will also avoid the inconvenience and cost to businesses of guests breaking or stealing the remotes left in their rooms for them.
The invention, which combines innovation and health, is being presented at this week’s Fitur international tourism fair in Madrid, and is described by the company as being “hygienic, functional, economical and ecological”. It is made entirely without using glue of any kind, and one innovative feature is the inclusion of an area where seeds can be placed so that it can actually be planted after it is no longer required.
The new remote controls are already being used on a trial basis by the Barceló hotel chain in the Balearics and Hard Rock in Mexico, and have been offered free of charge to various hospitals, also for a trial period. In the future it is anticipated that the same technology and creativity could be applied to other devices used by more than one person, such as air conditioning remote controls, computer keyboards, hi-fi systems, mobile phones and even medical and surgical equipment.
For the moment, though, the hope is that representatives of the hotel sector at the Fitur fair will be convinced of the advantages of these disposable, bio-degradable remote controls, and that sufficient interest will be generated to give impetus to future applications.
Image: Copyrighted. Full or partial reproduction prohibited. Efe Manuel Bruque
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