Orbel hand sanitiser unit, with packaging, made by Orbel Health Limited, 2010-2017

During his time as a student at the Royal College of Art, Adam Sutcliffe invented the Orbel hand sanitiser unit in 2006. Students are asked to solve a real-life problem. During his observations at a London hospital, he noticed that the stressful, busy environment meant that hand hygiene was not always observed. He realised that hand washing is a behaviour that must be learned. Hand hygiene is one line in defence in preventing healthcare acquired infections (HCIs).

Adam's design mimics the behaviour to wipe hands on the nearest available cloth or surface. The orb-shaped unit can be clipped onto a pocket or belt, and by passing a hand across its rollerball system, an alcohol gel is released. Each unit contains enough for around 60 dispenses of gel. In tests, Orbel reduced the spread of bacteria around a hospital by 50%.

In 2008, Adam founded Orbel Health Limited to develop, manufacture and distribute his hand hygiene product. Orbel was relaunched in 2022 following a two year approval process upscaling production to meet the huge demand for hand sanitiser during the COVID-19 pandemic.