O2Stick

What it does

In disaster scenarios like fires or shipwrecks, victims are often trapped in low-oxygen environments and struggle to breathe while awaiting rescue. O2Stick provides an immediate source of oxygen, offering critical support to bridge life-threatening gap.

Your inspiration

Our ideation began with real disasters where access to breathable air was critical. Our question was: Why there are no accessible, portable oxygen devices for such emergencies? Existing solutions depend on compressed gas, but limited volume and storage safety issues make them impractical for prolonged use. We drew inspiration from hydrogen transport, where the gas is stored in compact chemical carriers like ammonia. This method dramatically reduce the volume, enabling low-cost intercontinental shipping. Therefore, we explored solid compounds that can stably store and release oxygen via chemical reaction, enabling safer, longer-lasting supply.

How it works

The operation of O2Stick is designed to be intuitive and quick, consisting of four simple steps. 1) Pull out the safety pin, 2) Twist the cap, 3) Push down the cap, and 4) Shake the container to initiate the reaction. This sequence releases sodium percarbonate stored in the inner cylinder, allowing it to mix with water held in the outer chamber. Sodium percarbonate is a solid compound rich in oxygen, and when dissolved in water, it decomposes to generate pure oxygen naturally. (This reaction is accelerated by a small amount of manganese dioxide catalyst included in the system.) The generated oxygen then passes through a gas-permeable membrane on the top and is released upward, ready for immediate inhalation. Through this controlled chemical reaction, O2Stick produces a steady flow of approximately 10 liters of pure and safe oxygen gas in about 30 minutes, offering critical respiratory support during emergencies where breathable air is limited or unavailable.

Design process

Driven by the goal of creating a compact, power-free device that generates breathable oxygen via a simple trigger, we chose solid sodium percarbonate—rather than unstable liquid hydrogen peroxide, which naturally decomposes into oxygen and water—to ensure complete stability until activation. Prioritizing waterproofing and intuitive use, we loaded powder (100 g sodium percarbonate, 1 g manganese dioxide) into a dual-cylinder stick that docks into a standard 500 mL water bottle. We tested 3 filter membranes—Tyvek, Labopita and GORE-TEX—to block liquid ingress while venting gas, but their low permeability caused dangerous pressure buildup. Ultimately, we added an aluminum-foil “rupture window” on the outer chamber and a spring-loaded blade inside: a twist-and-push punctures the foil, opening a direct oxygen path to the upper inlet. Lab testing (400 mL water at 23 °C, 3 min stirring to mimic shaking) confirmed a steady release of 9.5 L of O₂ over 30 min, and interviews with a fire-safety professor and on-duty paramedics validated that a 30-minute oxygen supply meaningfully improves survival in disaster scenarios. Through iterative prototyping, material trials, quantitative validation and expert feedback, the O2Stick has matured into a robust, mass-deployable emergency oxygen device.

How it is different

Existing oxygen supply system, such as SCBA, are highly reliable but large, expensive, and require professionals to operate. It makes them unsuitable for widespread placement in public facilities where rapid access is needed by untrained civilians. On the other hand, commercial oxygen cans are compact and simple to use, but they store only a small amount of air, allowing for less than 10 minutes of breathing time. This is far too short compared to the 30-minute window often needed for rescue in real disaster scenarios. Moreover, compressed oxygen is sensitive to heat and impact, making long-term storage less stable. O2Stick solves this gap by storing sodium percarbonate—a stable, solid compound that generates oxygen when mixed with water. This allows for safe and compact storage. With simple user activation, O2Stick produces enough oxygen for 30 minutes of breathing, making it an accessible and deployable solution for mass emergency use in public spaces.

Future plans

We plan to improve O2Stick’s durability and performance under extreme conditions by applying flame-retardant, heat-resistant, and reinforced materials. This will allow the device to function safely during high temperatures and physical impact often seen in disaster settings. Once performance is validated, we aim to expand through institutional pathways—by applying for product certification and public procurement processes. Collaborations with public agencies, municipalities, and government disaster response programs will help bring O2Stick into wide distribution as a reliable emergency supply in public facilities.

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