We are living in the middle of the emergency over coronavirus all over the world. The reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on societies and economies around the world cannot be understated. Because an estimated 15% of COVID-19 patients require hospitalization and 5% require intensive care (Z. Wu and McGoogan 2020), the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has the potential of posing a substantial challenge to medical systems around the world (Remuzzi and Remuzzi 2020; Grasselli, Pesenti, and Cecconi 2020).
Necessity is the mother of invention. A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem. This saying appears in the dialogue Republic, by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” is an English-language proverb. It means, roughly, that the primary driving force for most new inventions is a need. When the need for something becomes imperative, you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it.
Here are some examples of sort of ingenuity we need now in the middle of pandemia. Already many people contributed those efforts. Check out on those links what is already done if you can find any useful information or can contribute to those efforts you see as good idea. Start your reserach with 7 open hardware projects working to solve COVID-19 article.
I have collected here a list of interesting open hardware project and instructions that can be useful or educational. Hopefully this list I have contributed here will be useful for someone. Keep in mind that many of those ideas are potentially dangerous if the instructions are not entirely correct, implemented exactly right and used by people that know what they are doing. You have been warned: Do not try those at home yourself! We are dealing here with things that can easily injure or kill someone if improperly implemented or used – but at right place the best ideas from those could potentially save lives.
Repairing hospital equipment
The right thing to do in his situation is that medical companies to release service manuals for ALL medical equipment so they can be repaired and maintained where they are most needed.
In the face of ventilator shortages for COVID-19 victims, iFixit is looking to make maintaining and repairing equipment as easy as possible. iFixit Launches Central Repository for Hospital Equipment Repair and Maintenance Manuals
https://www.ifixit.com/News/36354/help-us-crowdsource-repair-information-for-hospital-equipment
Site http://www.frankshospitalworkshop.com offers links many service manuals
Robotics
COVID-19 pandemic prompts more robot usage worldwide article tells that the coronavirus has increased interest in robots, drones, and artificial intelligence, even as some testing of autonomous vehicles pauses on public roads. It is believed that these technologies can help deal with massive staffing shortages in healthcare, manufacturing, and supply chains; the need for “social distancing;” and diagnosis and treatment.
Here are some robotics related links that could be useful:
Medical robotics expert Guang-Zhong Yang calls for a global effort to develop new types of robots for fighting infectious diseases.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/medical-robots/coronavirus-pandemic-call-to-action-robotics-community
Elements of Robotics Open Access Textbook
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-62533-1
Ventilators
A ventilator is a machine designed to provide mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators are sometimes colloquially called “respirators”.
A ventilator, also called a respirator, is designed to provide mechanical ventilation by oxygen into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. The machines can be used to help a person breath if they have conditions making it difficult to breathe, such as lung diseases, during and post-surgery. For patients critically ill with coronavirus access to a ventilator could be a matter of life or death.
In its simplest form, a modern positive pressure ventilator consists of a compressible air reservoir or turbine, air and oxygen supplies, a set of valves and tubes, and a disposable or reusable “patient circuit”. Modern ventilators are electronically controlled by a small embedded system to allow exact adaptation of pressure and flow characteristics to an individual patient’s needs.
They work by placing a tube in a person’s mouth, nose or small cut in the throat and connect it to a ventilator machine. The air reservoir is pneumatically compressed several times a minute to deliver room-air, or in most cases, an air/oxygen mixture to the patient.
Because failure may result in death, mechanical ventilation systems are classified as a life-critical system, and precautions must be taken to ensure that they are highly reliable. Modern commercial ventilator is a relatively complex piece of equipment with lots of components and a dedicated supply chain.
Because there is a lack of ventilators on many hospitals in several countries, there has been a lot of creative work done to help this problem.
There has been projects going on to repair old and non-working ventilators to a working conditions. For repairing some older devices, there has been problem to get spare parts from the manufacturer and that those spare parts can be very expensive. Also getting the service information for repairing those equipment seems to be hard to get from manufacturer, Ifixit has started a project Help commit industrial espionage for the greater good! to get the service information on-line at https://www.ifixit.com/News/36354/help-us-crowdsource-repair-information-for-hospital-equipment
In middle of the emergency some people have worked on to make their own spare parts when official parts are not available, thus making more devices available. For example a startup 3D-printed emergency breathing valves for COVID-19 patients at an Italian hospital in less than 6 hours. An Italian hospital that ran out of life-saving equipment for coronavirus patients was saved by a ‘hero’ engineer who used cutting-edge technology to design oxygen valves within a matter of hours. At least 10 lives were saved in this way.
So great thinking for 3d printing of valves. Are they sterilized and suitable? 3D printing has been used in numerous cases for medical parts already. Most 3D printing operates at relatively high temperatures and printed objects are actually naturally sterilized when they are made. Anyway the right kind of plastic needs to be selected and the part needs to be built in exactly right way that is works reliably as designed. If they are used and the individual gets worse, does the fact that equipment not medical certified (environment, storage, shipping, etc) put the hospital in additional jeopardy for a lawsuit? All valid questions each medical liability officer will have to address. But if people are going to literally die if you do nothing, then taking a risk with a part that you 3D print seems like an idea that is worth to try.
Links:
A startup 3D-printed emergency breathing valves for COVID-19 patients at an Italian hospital in less than 6 hours
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-italian-hospital-3d-printed-breathing-valves-covid-19-patients-2020-3?r=US&IR=T
https://it.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-manca-la-valvola-per-uno-strumento-di-rianimazione-e-noi-la-stampiamo-in-3d-accade-nellospedale-di-chiari-brescia/
Firm ‘refuses to give blueprint’ for coronavirus equipment that could save lives
https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/16/firm-refuses-give-blueprint-coronavirus-equipment-save-lives-12403815/
3D printed life-saving valves: already a dozen in operation
https://www.embodi3d.com/blogs/entry/436-3d-printed-life-saving-valves-already-a-dozen-in-operation/
Volunteers produce 3D-printed valves for life-saving coronavirus treatments
Volunteers made the valves for about $1
https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/17/21184308/coronavirus-italy-medical-3d-print-valves-treatments
Another tried trick is try to use one ventilator with more than one patient. Daily Mail writes that ventilators can be modified to help FOUR coronavirus patients breathe at the same time if the NHS is still critically short of the machines when the outbreak peaks, scientists say. Here are some links to material on using one ventilator to more than one patient:
https://emcrit.org/pulmcrit/split-ventilators/
SAVING 4 PATIENTS WITH JUST 1 VENTILATOR
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/19/saving-4-patients-with-just-1-ventilator/
Here has been work going on in creating an open source ventilator design project. Here are some links to this project and some other DIY ventilator designs.
There’s A Shortage Of Ventilators For Coronavirus Patients, So This International Group Invented An Open Source Alternative That’s Being Tested Next Week
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrasternlicht/2020/03/18/theres-a-shortage-of-ventilators-for-coronavirus-patients-so-this-international-group-invented-an-open-source-alternative-thats-being-tested-next-week/
Open-source Oxygen Concentrator
https://reprapltd.com/open-source-oxygen-concentrator/
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/03/17/designing-a-low-cost-open-source-ventilator-with-arduino/
https://www.instructables.com/id/The-Pandemic-Ventilator/
Macgyvilator Mk 1 (3-19-2020) – “ventilator” for disasters and/or low resource environments
Macgyvilator Mk 1 is a disaster “ventilator”, a simple apparatus to compress a bag-valve-mask with some control over tidal volume and rate. Constructed quickly and simply using wood, PVC, velcro, common fasteners, and easily sourced and assembled electronic components.
An Arduino based Open Source Ventilator to Fight against COVID-19?
https://www.cnx-software.com/2020/03/21/an-arduino-based-open-source-ventilator-to-fight-against-covid-19/
Low-Cost Open Source Ventilator or PAPR
https://github.com/jcl5m1/ventilator
Low-cost Ventilators
https://procrastineering.blogspot.com/2020/03/low-cost-ventilators.html
Arduino Respirator Prototype (pen source solution from Reesistencia Team, which is undergoing testing)
https://www.facebook.com/official.arduino/videos/2557115014604392/
OxyGEN project
https://oxygen.protofy.xyz
“OxyGEN is an open hardware project to build an emergency mechanism that automates an AMBU type manual ventilator in extreme shortage situations such as the one caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) in some parts of the world.”
NOTE: Take a look at the expression VILI before thinking about trying one of these. It is hard making a ventilator that doesn’t harm the lungs. It is easy to get Ventilator-associated lung injury or die if the ventilator does not work exactly correctly all the time.
Testing for infection
There are many approaches thought to be helpful to finding out if someone is infected or something is contaminated.
Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher than normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus. However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever (it can take 2-10 days before infected people get the fewer).
Open-Source Collaboration Tackles COVID-19 Testing
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/10/open-source-collaboration-tackles-covid-19-testing/
Low-cost & Open-Source Covid19 Detection kits
https://app.jogl.io/project/118?
This Open Source Device Can Detect Coronavirus on Surfaces
The Chai team has developed a detection test that works with their Open qPCR tool.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-open-source-device-can-detect-coronavirus-on-surfaces-3da1d7b1c73a
Prevent touching face
It is recommended to stop touching your face to minimize spread of coronavirus and other germs. People touch their faces frequently. They wipe their eyes, scratch their noses, bite their nails and twirl their mustaches.
Not touching your face is a simple way to protect yourself from COVID-19, but it’s not easy. If you can reduce face-touching, you can lower people’s chances of catching COVID-19. Why is it so hard to stop? Face-touching rewards us by relieving momentary discomforts like itches and muscle tension.
If you you want to change, you can try to replace it with a competing response that opposes the muscle movements needed to touch your face. When you feel the urge to touch your face, you can clench your fists, sit on your hands, press your palms onto the tops of your thighs or stretch your arms straight down at your sides. Some sources recommend object manipulation, in which you occupy your hands with something else. You can rub your fingertips, fiddle with a pen or squeeze a stress ball.
Related links:
This pair of Arduino glasses stops you from touching your face
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/03/10/this-pair-of-arduino-glasses-stops-you-from-touching-your-face/
Don’t Touch Your Face
Don’t touch your face — easy to say, hard to do. This device, worn like a watch, will buzz whenever your hand aims for trouble.
https://www.hackster.io/mike-rigsby/don-t-touch-your-face-e8eac3
Hand sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is a liquid or gel generally used to decrease infectious agents on the hands. It depends on the case if hand washing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer is preferred. For Covid-19 WHO recommends to wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them thoroughly. Use alcohol-based handrub if you don’t have immediate access to soap and water.
It seems that there are many places where there is shortage of hand sanitizers. This has lead to situation where people have resorted to making their own. Recipes for DIY hand sanitizer are popping all over the internet. A quick search reveals news articles, YouTube how-to’s and step-by-step visual guides. But think twice about joining them — experts are wary and even caution against the idea. The World Health Organization even has an official guide to making hand sanitizer. But it’s intended for populations that do not have clean water or other medical-grade products in place. Don’t try to make your own hand sanitizer just because there’s a shortage from coronavirus.
Can’t get your hands on hand sanitizer? Make your own
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/hand-sanitizer-coronavirus-make-your-own/
Photos show why hand sanitizer doesn’t work as well as soap and water to remove germs
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-photos-why-you-should-wash-hands-with-soap-water-2020-3?amp
Emergency DIY hand sanitizers (read the description)
“Every time a new health incident occurs there’s a rush on hand sanitizers, often causing shops to sell out.
Here’s how to make some simple emergency sanitizers at home, noting that they are not as effective as just washing your hands, and only some viruses can be damaged by simple sanitizers. These options are offered as a last resort when commercial versions are not available.”
“For the alcohol one the higher the percentage of alcohol the better, up to around 70-80%.”
Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer At Home When It’s Sold Out Everywhere
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2020/03/03/make-your-own-hand-sanitizer-at-home-when-its-sold-out-everywhere/
Sanitizing things
With deadly coronavirus spreading worldwide at an alarming speed, personal hygiene has become paramount importance to contain the infection spread further. Mobile phones are known to house several germ, and if you thing they are contaminated, you should maybe disinfect them. The CDC recommends that everyone “clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day” to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
How to Disinfect Your Smartphone article says CDC recommends that for your smartphone you should use 70% rubbing alcohol or alcohol-based disinfectant spray to wipe down the back and sides of your device. For example Apple recently updated its official cleaning advice, so ccording to Apple, it’s now safe to clean your iPhone with disinfecting wipes if you do it correctly. You should not try to spray any liquid to your phone.
The other option is to use a smartphone sanitizer device that cleans using UV rays. Sanitizers that use ultraviolet (UV) rays to kill bacteria and viruses have been around for a while now and they can kill 99% of bacteria in as little as five minutes. However its efficacy hasn’t been tested against nasties like SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Coronavirus effect: Samsung offers UV-C sanitizing service for Galaxy devices. Samsung is using Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) disinfection technology, which uses of uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate bacteria, virus, molds and other pathogenic microorganisms on smartphones.
The UV-C light is capable of destroying nucleic acids and DNA. It will kill many things, but you don’t want that hitting your eye or skin. World Health Organization only states: “UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands, or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation.”
Here are some UV C related links:
https://www.light-sources.com/blog/killing-bacteria-with-uv-light/
https://russellsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-gtl3-bulb-simple-and-inexpensive.html?m=1
Good UV versus bad UV. All available on eBay.
Protective masks
The protective mask ratings used by hospitals are typically N95, FFP2 or FFP3. FFP2 protection level is 94%. FFP3 protection level is 99%. N95 protection level is 95%. An N95 FFR is a type of respirator which removes particles from the air that are breathed through it. These respirators filter out at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) particles. N95 FFRs are capable of filtering out all types of particles, including bacteria and viruses. The N95 mask is mainly for use if you already have the virus to keep it from spreading and many have argued that coronavirus is smaller than the 0.3 micron filter rating of the mask and thus, not that helpful, for people outside of healthcare. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General wants consumers to stop buying masks.
Due to the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, there has been a huge shortage of N95 masks. Promoting simple do-it-yourself masks: an urgent intervention for COVID-19 mitigation claims that widespread use of masks by the general population could be an effective strategy for slowing down the spread of COVID-19: “Since surgical masks might not become available in sufficient numbers quickly enough for general use and sufficient compliance with wearing surgical masks might not be possible everywhere, we argue that simple do-it-yourself designs or commercially available cloth masks could reduce the spread of infection at minimal costs to society”.
With masks sold out during the coronavirus outbreak, many people will have to make do with what some scientists have called “the last resort”: the DIY mask. Many people have been working on designs for a DIY mask that may be able to protect those who haven’t been able to secure their own masks. It seems that cotton homemade masks may be quite effective as alternatives and there are also other ideas. For any DIY ideas, be warned that there is no guarantee that those designs are effective. So I don’t recommend to use them as alternative to proper mask when they are available. Bit of proper marks are not available, they can be better than nothing.
Keep in mind the right filter type to use: Hepa filters do have the ability to filter particles and viruses, but they wont protect you 100% of the time. The real secret is layers. The problem is, more layers, more restriction. Keep in mind that charcoal filters will make your air fresher, but have almost no effect on cleaning the air of viruses. Coronavirus virions (or ‘particles’) are spherical particles with diameters of approximately 125 nm (0.125 microns). The smallest particles are 0.06 microns, and the largest are 0.14 microns. This means coronavirus particles are smaller than PM2.5 particles, but bigger than some dust particles and gases.
General information:
Guide to Dust Mask Ratings
https://www.seton.co.uk/your-guide-to-dust-masks-ratings
Can Masks Protect People from The Coronavirus?
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/coronavirus-pollution-masks-n95-surgical-mask/
Hengityksensuojaimet
https://www.tays.fi/fi-FI/Ohjeet/Infektioiden_torjunta/Mikrobikohtaiset_ohjeet/Hengityksensuojaimet(51207)
DIY project links:
Homemade N95 Masks In A Time Of Shortage
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/18/homemade-n95-masks-in-a-time-of-shortage/
“According to a studied performed at Cambridge University during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, while surgical masks perform the best at capturing Bacillus atrophaeus bacteria (0.93-1.25 microns) and Bacteriophage MS virus (0.023 microns), vacuum cleaner bags, tea towels, and cotton T-shirts were not too far behind. The coronavirus is 0.1-0.2 microns, well within the range for the results of the tests.”
What Are The Best Materials for Making DIY Masks?
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/
“Data shows that DIY and homemade masks are effective at capturing viruses. But if forced to make our own mask, what material is best suited to make a mask? As the coronavirus spread around China, netizens reported making masks with tissue paper, kitchen towels, cotton clothing, and even oranges!”
Can DIY Masks Protect Us from Coronavirus?
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/diy-homemade-mask-protect-virus-coronavirus/
“DIY masks to protect against from viruses sounds like a crazy idea. Data shows masks work incredibly well, and they’re also really cheap. Surgical masks cost a few pennies, and they’re capable of filtering out 80% of particles down to 0.007 microns (14 times smaller than the coronavirus).”
“The homemade cotton masks captured 50% of 0.02-1 micron particles, compared with 80% for the surgical mask. Although the surgical masks captured 30% more particles, the cotton masks did surprisingly well. The researchers concluded that homemade masks would be better than nothing.”
“The Cambridge data shows that homemade masks made using cotton t-shirts can filter out some particles that are 0.02–1 microns in size. That’s pretty good, however its only one test.”
Professional and Home-Made Face Masks Reduce Exposure to Respiratory Infections among the General Population
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2440799/
Can Masks Protect People from The Coronavirus?
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/coronavirus-pollution-masks-n95-surgical-mask/
This old hack doesn’t require any cutting or sewing:
http://how2dostuff.blogspot.com/2005/11/how-to-make-ninja-mask-out-of-t-shirt.html
Copper 3D makes the free N95 mask design to fight COVID-19 pandemic spread
https://3dprintingcenter.net/2020/03/18/copper-3d-makes-the-free-n95-mask-design-to-fight-covid-19-pandemic-spread/?fbclid=IwAR2iXJD5ybU8ReADakvCyDKsfzuRDOBEWxZ3ACCjZoz2dKNwvy07htUhon4
“Copper 3D – A Chilean manufacturer of innovative antibacterial filaments designed the own version of the popular N95 protective mask and prepared it perfectly optimized for 3D printing on desktop 3D printers of the FDM / FFF type. The project is released under an open-source license and has been simultaneously patent pending to prevent other entities from commercializing it.”
“Copper 3D team quickly got to work on developing the patent for a model similar to a standard N95 mask but with some peculiarities (Antiviral, Reusable, Modular, Washable, Recyclable, Low-Cost), which were completely designed in a digital environment so that it could be downloaded anywhere in the world and 3D printed with any FDM/FFF equipment, even a low cost one. The mask was called “NanoHack”.”
#HackThePandemic site offers the technical details of the N95 mask and download set of STL files for printing on own 3D printer
https://copper3d.com/HACKTHEPANDEMIC/
SaltMask
https://robots-everywhere.com/re_wiki/pub/web/Cookbook.SaltMask.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39956
“This is NOT a straight replacement for a N95 mask. In a real emergency it is recommended to combine a full face shield with a filter mask.”
Prusa Protective Face Shield – RC2
https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/25857-prusa-protective-face-shield-rc1
“In a real emergency it is recommended to combine a full face shield with a filter mask.”
Promoting simple do-it-yourself masks: an urgent intervention for COVID-19 mitigation
https://medium.com/@matthiassamwald/promoting-simple-do-it-yourself-masks-an-urgent-intervention-for-covid-19-mitigation-14da4100f429
“Since surgical masks might not become available in sufficient numbers quickly enough for general use and sufficient compliance with wearing surgical masks might not be possible everywhere, we argue that simple do-it-yourself designs or commercially available cloth masks could reduce the spread of infection at minimal costs to society”
“Potentially, simply wrapping a suitable, large cloth around the face is easy to implement (Fig. 2), would arguably be more socially acceptable than surgical masks, and would be superior to a complete lack of face mask use.”
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Tomi Engdahl says:
QR-code based contact-tracing app brings ‘defining moment’ for UK’s ‘world beating’ test and trace system
Remember when The Reg told you in 2012 that they were taking over?
https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/11/qr_code_nhs_contact_tracing_app/
A UK government desperate for good news in the face escalating cases of COVID-19 has finally announced a launch date for its contact-tracing app, once said to be the “cornerstone” of Blighty’s pandemic response.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the new smartphone-based app would be available from September 24 for England and Wales, and will use QR codes to “provide an easy and simple way to collect contact details to support the NHS Test and Trace system.” Scotland already has its own app, we note, as does Northern Ireland.
The Register said that QR codes would be a feature of the app back in August.
The idea is pubs, restaurants, cafes and other venues will download posters for their premises ahead of the launch of the NHS COVID-19 app in England and its neighbor, allowing the public to “seamlessly check in to venues using the app.” The government has been encouraging businesses that already have their own QR system to switch to the NHS Test and Trace QR code.
“We need to use every tool at our disposal to control the spread of the virus, including cutting-edge technology. The launch of the app later this month across England and Wales is a defining moment and will aid our ability to contain the virus at a critical time,” Hancock said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europe starts testing app interoperability service to power cross-border COVID-19 exposure alerts
https://tcrn.ch/2RqffUg
The European Commission has begun testing backend infrastructure that’s needed to make national coronavirus contacts tracing apps interoperate across the bloc’s internal borders.
It’s kicked off test runs between the backend servers of the official apps from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Latvia, and the newly established gateway server — which is being developed and set up by T-Systems and SAP, and will be operated from the Commission’s data centre in Luxembourg, it said today.
The service is due to become operational in October, meaning EU Member States with compatible apps will be able extend digital contacts tracing for app users travelling within the group of listed countries.
The Commission says the gateway service will only exchange a minimum of data — namely the arbitrary identifiers generated by the tracing apps.
“The information exchanged is pseudonymised, encrypted, kept to the minimum, and only stored as long as necessary to trace back infections. It does not allow the identification of individual persons,” it adds.
Only decentralized national coronavirus contacts tracing apps are compatible with the gateway service at this stage. And while the Commission says it is continuing to support work being undertaken within some Member States to find ways to extend interoperability to tracing apps with different architectures, it’s not clear how viable that will be without risks to privacy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intangible Surface © GPL3+
Intangible Surface is a gesture and IoT based touchless interface to interact with the digital world.
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/usavswapnil/intangible-surface-dd262b
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Graphene Mouth Screen
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/14/a-graphene-mouth-screen/
We are all intimate with face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Some are reusable, and some become waste after one use. [Dr. Ye Ruquan] and a research team from City University of Hong Kong, CityU, are developing an inexpensive reusable mask with outstanding antibacterial properties, and, get this, the graphene it contains will generate a tiny current when moistened by human breath. There isn’t enough power to charge your phone or anything, but that voltage drops as the masks get dirty, so it can help determine when it needs cleaning. The video after the break shows the voltage test, and it reminds us of those batteries.
All the remarkable qualities of this mask come from laser-induced graphene. The lab is producing LIG by lasering polyimide film with a commercial CO2 infrared model. In a speed test, the process can convert 100cm² in ninety seconds, so the masks can be made more cheaply than an N95 version with that melt-blown layer that is none too good for the earth. Testing the antibacterial properties against activated carbon fiber and blown masks showed approximately 80% of the bacteria is inert after 8 hours compared to the others in the single digits. If you put them in the sun for 10 minutes, blown fabric goes to over 85%, but the graphene is 99.998%, which means that one bacteria in 50K survives. The exact mechanism isn’t known, but [Dr. Ye] thinks it may have something to do with graphene’s sharp edges and hydrophobic quality. A couple of coronavirus species were also affected, and the species that causes COVID-19 will be tested this year.
Researchers develop anti-bacterial graphene face masks
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-anti-bacterial-graphene-masks.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Näin vältät koronaa syksyllä – professorin 8 vinkkiä
https://www.iltalehti.fi/terveysuutiset/a/3a3c47a4-f4fb-408d-9824-6133e1c39b42
Tomi Engdahl says:
This USB bottle generates surface sanitiser from water and salt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5kcER2Z4-8
Initially I was sceptical about this device since it shares a common appearance to the “hydrogen water enrichers”. But in reality this odd USB spray bottle does actually make sodium hypochlorite sanitiser from plain tap water and salt using a process called electrochlorination.
And it works really well. The water stinks of chlorine afterwards and an ill advised taste test gave a strong salt and chlorine taste.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrochlorination
Tomi Engdahl says:
N95 masks rely on static electricity for maximum effectiveness, and the charge is irreversibly lost as it is worn, even if they are decontaminated for reuse. But researchers have found a way to zap N95s back to full effectiveness.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/one-day-medical-workers-might-plug-in-their-smart-masks
Tomi Engdahl says:
4 design venues to watch in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.edn.com/4-design-venues-to-watch-in-the-fight-against-the-covid-19-pandemic/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EDNDesignIdeas-20200915
How do design solutions targeted at tackling the COVID-19 pandemic look? How do they make use of the existing hardware and software building blocks? Where does the actual design innovation lie? This article provides some answers in a rapidly evolving design landscape built to combat this pandemic.
While many engineers are now busy building systems that can identify community spreads to prevent large outbreaks, their efforts encompass four major design venues. Here is sneak peek into this brand-new design ecosystem built around the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Pulse Oximeter w/o dedicated parts
https://hackaday.io/project/174350-diy-pulse-oximeter-wo-dedicated-parts
It’s DIY Pulse Oximeter using cheap and general parts and 3D printer, not need dedicated parts.
The pulse oximeter can detect the deterioration of Covid 19′s symptoms. But due to the shortage of medical goods, we should give them to the medical field. So, we will consider to create pulse oximeter by ourself. Actually, there are some reports who made it using a pulse oximeter module such as MAX 30102. However, the pulse oximeter module is also shortage. Therefore, I have developed the DIY pulse oximeter that can assembly with cheap and general parts which will not need to worry about shortages.
The pulse oximeter needs a high resolution ADC and the Arduino ADC is useless. This pulse oximeter measures transmitted light by sweeping the LED current and measuring the time until the output of the phototransistor reaches a specific voltage. As a result, it does not require an ADC or dedicated module, and can be assembled with only cheap and general parts that will not run out of stock even in special COVID19 demand.
DIY Pulse Oximeter you can make 3. Circuit Operation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWZZJI12xQ0
Tomi Engdahl says:
This portable, low-cost, and autonomous robotic arm lends a hand to clean surfaces via UV-C lighting.
Micron UV Robotic Arm
https://www.hackster.io/ashokr/micron-uv-robotic-arm-bc1046
An autonomous UV Robotic Arm handles cleaning, sanitizing surfaces in any environment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europe Tests Gateway for Tracing Apps to Work Across Borders
https://www.securityweek.com/europe-tests-gateway-tracing-apps-work-across-borders
Six European Union countries and the bloc’s executive Commission have begun testing a virtual “gateway” to ensure national coronavirus tracing apps can work across borders.
The trial starting Monday will allow national computer systems that run tracing apps in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Latvia to communicate with each other via a central hub.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A winner in our recent Touch Less, Do More Challenge, this simple desktop device helps ensure proper social distancing between you and your colleagues: https://bit.ly/30V0oXe
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://lassikko.lt.fi/nain-suojaat-oman-organisaatiosi-koronavirukselta?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=10-vinkki%C3%A4-varautumiseen&utm_content=mainos2&hsa_acc=116945515484823&hsa_cam=23845957158550298&hsa_grp=23845957158560298&hsa_ad=23845957290210298&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3
Tomi Engdahl says:
Designed for at-risk individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, this storefront crowd indicator lets you know how busy it is inside by counting nearby cell phones via a MKR WiFi 1010.
Small Store Congestion Warning © GPL3+
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/ianmercer/small-store-congestion-warning-742ea4
This store-front “crowd indicator” lets at-risk individuals decide whether to enter or to wait ’til later by tracking cell phones.
In these times of social distancing many larger stores now have people on the front door ensuring that it does not become too crowded inside the store. Smaller stores in strip-malls cannot afford to do this. At-risk individuals are particularly concerned about entering small spaces with many people inside. This project creates a simple RED/GREEN indicator that can be placed by the front door.
Sample display with prominent red/green LED and explanatory text.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/so-far-so-good-view-inside-coronavirus-vaccine-trial.html#utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=curevac
Tomi Engdahl says:
Classroom precautions during COVID-19
Tips for teachers to protect themselves and their students.
https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/teacher-tips-classroom-precautions-covid-19
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/14/n95-masks-could-soon-be-rechargeable-instead-of-disposable/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/teacher-tips-classroom-precautions-covid-19
Tomi Engdahl says:
Synthetic biologists have created a slow-growing version of the coronavirus to give as a vaccine
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/09/16/1008442/synthetic-biologists-have-created-a-slow-growing-version-of-the-coronavirus-to-give-as-a-vaccine/?utm_medium=tr_social&utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1600465597
Live vaccines defeated smallpox and polio. One company claims a weakened coronavirus could do the same for covid-19.
Now, researchers say, synthetic biology has led to a way to create a weakened form of the pandemic coronavirus that causes covid-19. Although the idea remains a long-shot in the vaccine race, an attenuated coronavirus could be formulated into inexpensive nose drops for use around the world.
The startup company behind the new version of SARS-CoV-2, called Codagenix, is working with Serum Institute of India, based in Pune, which bills itself as the world’s largest vaccine maker. Plans are for the first volunteers to sniff up the synthetically designed virus starting in November, in initial human safety tests in the UK.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Read My Lips, Under This No-Sew Mask
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/30/read-my-lips-under-this-no-sew-mask/
Humans continuously communicate with our bodies, and face masks cover one of the most expressive parts. For some, this is a muffler on strangers, but devastating for people who rely on lip-reading. Several masks exist that have a clear window for precisely this purpose, but they’re specialty and high-demand. [Erin St Blaine] over at Adafruit shows how she makes windowed masks with stuff you may already have in your house. Even if your sewing machine is locked up the local maker-space, you are in luck, because you don’t need a single stitch. For the thread-inclined, it is easy to tweak the recipe.
https://learn.adafruit.com/no-sew-cotton-face-mask-with-a-window
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/30/a-pin-pad-blasting-uv-sanitizer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/28/building-a-heavy-duty-open-source-ventilator/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Detect COVID-19 Symptoms Using Wearable Device And AI
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/11/detect-covid-19-symptoms-using-wearable-device-and-ai/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Detecting COVID-19 with OpenCV Classifiers
https://hackaday.io/project/171817-detecting-covid-19-with-opencv-classifiers
PC, Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano: 1) Detecting COVID-19 in X-ray with OpenCV; and 2) Detecting COVID-19 Virus Cells with OpenCV
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fire Fly UVC 9 Watt Handheld Sanitizer
https://hackaday.io/project/171878-fire-fly-uvc-9-watt-handheld-sanitizer
Utilizing proven, and economically efficient Micro Sized Mercury Vapor Arc Light Source producing 9 watts of handheld UVC power,
Tomi Engdahl says:
Clear N95 + Mask , 3d Printed & Vacuum Formed
https://hackaday.io/project/172287-clear-n95-mask-3d-printed-vacuum-formed
Covid-19 and Flu, 3d Printed and Vacuum Formed for Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Impaired, Deaf, Autistic and Elderly
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digi-Key Hacks UV Into Conveyor Line To Protect Warehouse Staff
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/04/digi-key-hacks-uv-into-conveyor-line-to-protect-warehouse-staff/
Ensuring their workforce stays healthy is key to remaining open and as part of their efforts they hacked together a nice addition to their sanitation regime. They use around 8,000 plastic totes to transport components around the distribution center and devised a way to sanitize tote coming in from the receiving area using a UV light tunnel. From their sanitation plan we can see this is in addition to the fogging system (likely a vaporized hydrogen peroxide system) used to regularly sanitize the totes passing throughout the warehouse.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardown Of The Singaporean COVID-19 TraceTogether Token
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/25/teardown-of-the-singaporean-covid-19-tracetogether-token/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Creating A Custom ASIC With The First Open Source PDK
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/25/creating-a-custom-asic-with-the-first-open-source-pdk/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Baby Grand Gets MIDI
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/25/baby-grand-gets-midi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/25/measuring-the-time-is-a-breeze-with-this-air-flow-clock/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Thermometer Can Tell Flu From Cold
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/26/smart-thermometer-can-tell-flu-from-cold/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/03/covid-tracing-apps-what-europe-has-done-right-and-wrong/
Tomi Engdahl says:
ESP32 Turned Open Source COVID-19 Contact Tracer
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/28/esp32-turned-open-source-covid-19-contact-tracer/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/27/a-face-mask-thats-functional-and-hacker-certified/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Onko tämä miellyttävin koronatesti? Nämä neljä koronakoiraa ovat nyt valmiita aloittamaan työnsä Helsinki-Vantaalla – katso suora lähetys
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11556799
Koira voi tunnistaa koronaviruksen ihmisestä aikaisemmin kuin laboratoriotestit. Koronakoirat aloittavat työnsä tällä viikolla.
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 FDA Cleared or Approved Wearable Devices that Redefined Healthcare
https://www.mddionline.com/digital-health/10-fda-cleared-or-approved-wearable-devices-redefined-healthcare?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=14454&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
NASA’s ‘VITAL’ Ventilator: A Choice Between Licensing and Open-Source
https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/stories/blog/37734?utm_source=TB_Main_News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200922&oly_enc_id=2460E0071134A8V
In late August, NASA announced that its FDA-approved VITAL respirators entered mass production in Brazil .
VITAL, which stands for Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally, was developed specifically for use with COVID-19 patients.
“We consulted directly with doctors who were treating patients in the hospital,” said Leon Alkalai, one of the leaders of the ventilator project and manager of JPL Office of Strategic Partnerships, in an earlier Tech Briefs article.
The technology has since been licensed to 28 companies globally, including Brazil.
The NASA-developed ventilator has fewer parts than a traditional, high-end ventilator and can therefore be built faster and maintained more easily. Many of the VITAL components are currently available to potential manufacturers through existing supply chains.
The pneumatic version of the device, which will be built in Brazil under the name VIDA, uses pressurized oxygen or air from hospital sources. Like all ventilators, VITAL requires patients to be sedated and an oxygen tube inserted into their airway to breathe.
NASA had received more than 100 applications for a license to build and distribute the ventilator.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/brazilian-partnership-to-begin-producing-nasa-designed-covid-19-ventilator/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Käytätkö kasvot peittävää suojavisiiriä? Tuore tutkimus: täysin hyödytön koronatorjunnassa
Japanilaistutkimus osoitti kasvot peittävän suojavisiirin olevan täysin tehoton koronaviruksen torjunnassa.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/koronavirus/a/d95547c7-dd02-4129-bc5a-d049e8608a5c
Useat palvelualan ammattilaiset ovat siirtyneet käyttämään muovista suojavisiiriä normaalin kasvomaskin sijaan. Tuore japanilaistutkimus suosittelee kuitenkin siirtymistä takaisin suun ja nenän peittävään hengityssuojaimeen, koska visiiri ei estä käytännössä lainkaan viruksen etenemistä.
Yksi maailman tehokkaimmista supertietokoneista, Fugaku, mallinsi koronaviruksen ja huomasi, että aerosolina liikkuvat viruspisarat ovat usein vain viiden mikrometrin eli viiden millimetrin tuhannesosan kokoisia (0,005 mm).
Näin ollen ne leijuvat ilmassa vapaasti ja pääsevät helposti visiirin alareunasta käyttäjän hengitysteihin. Jopa puolet myös isommista (noin 50 mikrometrin) pisaroista pysyivät ilmassa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Face shields ineffective at trapping aerosols, says Japanese supercomputer
Simulation using world’s fastest supercomputer casts doubt on effectiveness in preventing spread of coronavirus
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/22/face-shields-ineffective-trapping-aerosols-japanese-supercomputer-coronavirus
Plastic face shields are almost totally ineffective at trapping respiratory aerosols, according to modelling in Japan, casting doubt on their effectiveness in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
A simulation using Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer, found that almost 100% of airborne droplets of less than 5 micrometres in size escaped through plastic visors of the kind often used by people working in service industries.
One micrometre is one millionth of a metre.
In addition, about half of larger droplets measuring 50 micrometres found their way into the air, according to Riken, a government-backed research institute in the western city of Kobe.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Pulse Oximeter w/o dedicated parts
It’s DIY Pulse Oximeter using cheap and general parts and 3D printer, not need dedicated parts.
https://hackaday.io/project/174350-diy-pulse-oximeter-wo-dedicated-parts
The pulse oximeter can detect the deterioration of Covid 19′s symptoms. But due to the shortage of medical goods, we should give them to the medical field. So, we will consider to create pulse oximeter by ourself. Actually, there are some reports who made it using a pulse oximeter module such as MAX 30102. However, the pulse oximeter module is also shortage. Therefore, I have developed the DIY pulse oximeter that can assembly with cheap and general parts which will not need to worry about shortages.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/22/facing-the-coronavirus/
Some of us are oblivious to how often we touch our faces. The current finding is we reach for our eyes, nose, or mouth every three to four minutes. Twenty times per hour is an awful lot of poking, picking, itching, and prodding when we’re supposed to keep our hands away from glands that can transmit and receive disease. To curb this habit and enter the 2020 Hackaday Prize, [Lloyd lobo] built a proof-of-concept device that sounds the alarm when you reach for your face.
https://hackaday.io/project/174326-the-cap-that-doesnt-let-you-touch-your-face
Tomi Engdahl says:
In early 2020, global policy decisions hung on computer models that predicted the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths. How did they do?
Why Modeling the Spread of COVID-19 Is So Damn Hard
https://spectrum.ieee.org/artificial-intelligence/medical-ai/why-modeling-the-spread-of-covid19-is-so-damn-hard
If you wanted to “flatten the curve” in 2019, you might have been changing students’ grades or stamping down a rug ripple. Today, that phrase refers only to the vital task of reducing the peak number of people concurrently infected with the COVID-19 virus. Beginning in early 2020, graphs depicting the expected number of infections spread through social networks, much like the virus itself. We’ve all become consumers of epidemiological models, the mathematical entities that spit out these ominous trend lines.
Such models have existed for decades but have never received such widespread attention. They’re informing public policy, financial planning, health care allocation, doomsday speculation, and Twitter hot takes. In the first quarter of 2020, government leaders were publicly parsing these computational speculations, making huge decisions about whether to shut down schools, businesses, and travel. Would an unchecked outbreak kill millions, or fizzle out? Which interventions would help the most? How sure could we be of any forecast? Models disagreed, and some people pointed to whichever curve best supported their predilections. It didn’t help that the researchers building the models were still figuring out what the heck they were doing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Please don’t do this, you might end up dead.
Experts Are Begging You Not To Make And Inject Your Own Homemade Covid Vaccines
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/experts-are-begging-you-not-to-make-and-inject-your-own-homemade-covid-vaccines/
A new paper in the journal Science has addressed people who may be thinking of using a DIY Covid-19 vaccine, or else creating one themselves, with a strong yet simple message: Please don’t, you might end up dead.
Aside from the legal, ethical, and public health issues of self-experimentation when it comes to medical innovations, it’s not safe.
“A homemade Covid-19 vaccine is perhaps more dangerous than people would like to believe,” Jacob S. Sherkow, a professor of law at the University of Illinois and co-author of the paper, said in a statement.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Maps Will Now Display Coronavirus Outbreaks And Cases
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/09/23/google-maps-will-now-display-coronavirus-outbreaks-and-cases/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
Google Maps will now highlight coronavirus case counts around the world and how bad outbreaks are in each region, Google announced Wednesday, with a new layer dedicated to information about the pandemic.
The new feature will display the seven-day average for Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people for the map area that a viewer is looking at, as well as whether cases are trending upward or downward.
The map, which will offer information for every country currently supported in Google Maps, will be color-coded to easily show the density of each area’s outbreaks, ranging from green (less than one case per 100,000 people) to dark red (more than 40 cases per 100,000 people).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: ‘Government must publish contact-tracing app data’
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54256144
A leading health charity is demanding details about how England and Wales’ contact-tracing app fared in tests.
The app is due to launch on Thursday.
It has been trialled in the London Borough of Newham as well as the Isle of Wight, but data from from the pilots has not been made public.
The Health Foundation said it was particularly concerned the tech could exacerbate existing inequalities, leaving some people at greater risk of being infected.
The government has responded saying: “We have spoken with groups with protected characteristics, such as age, ethnicity and disability, those experiencing health inequalities and those groups particularly impacted by coronavirus.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
UK launches COVID-19 exposure notification app for England and Wales
https://tcrn.ch/3kKqd3n
The last two regions of the UK now have an official coronavirus contacts tracing app, after the UK government pushed the button to launch the NHS COVID-19 app across England and Wales today.
Northern Ireland and Scotland launched their own official apps to automate coronavirus exposure notifications earlier this year. But the England and Wales app was delayed after a false start back in May. The key point is that the version that’s launched now has a completely different app architecture.
All three of the UK’s official coronavirus contacts tracing apps make use of smartphones’ Bluetooth radios to generate alerts of potential exposure to COVID-19 — based on estimating the proximity of the devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google rolls out updates to Maps with a layer showing COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, with labels to indicate trends, coming to 220 countries and territories — Google today announced an update to Google Maps that will bring a new COVID-19 layer to the service to help you better understand the number of cases in a given area.
Google Maps gets a COVID-19 layer
https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/23/google-maps-gets-a-covid-19-layer/
Google today announced an update to Google Maps that will bring a new COVID-19 layer to the service to help you better understand the number of cases in a given area. With the pandemic continuing to spread in many countries — and ahead of what many fear will be a second wave — Google Maps users can now enable this feature and see a color-coded map based on the number of cases per 100,000 people, as well as labels that indicate whether numbers are trending up or down.
This data will be available for all the 220 countries and territories that Google Maps currently supports. Where possible, the data is granular down to the city level, but that obviously depends on the numbers Google is able to pull in.
Google says the data comes from a number of sources, including Johns Hopkins, The New York Times and Wikipedia, which get their their information from local and intergovernmental government organizations. That’s the same sources Google pulls from when it displays COVID data on its search results pages
Navigate safely with new COVID data in Google Maps
https://blog.google/products/maps/navigate-safely-new-covid-data-google-maps/
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Clear Talker’ Mask Allows Better Communication
https://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/component/content/article/mdb/stories/blog/37752?utm_source=TB_Medical_News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200924&oly_enc_id=2460E0071134A8V
A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ research team has invented a novel face mask using a transparent shield with filtered vents. The see-through “Clear Talker” mask allows accurate communication via lip reading, facial expressions, and visually apparent emotions.
The mask allows air to flow through four vents with replaceable filters that can be swapped at the end of their functional life or changed to address specific particle filtering concerns.
The vents face down to help keep the warm air from fogging the user’s eyeglasses. The novel design is meant to be an alternative option to the now-common surgical mask used by the public to limit the airborne spread of the COVID-19 virus.
https://techlinkcenter.org/news/va-team-designs-clear-talker-mask-seeking-business-to-license/
Tomi Engdahl says:
High-brightness Probes Enable Faster, More Robust COVID-19 Testing
https://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/component/content/article/mdb/stories/blog/37753?utm_source=TB_Medical_News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200924&oly_enc_id=2460E0071134A8V
New probes using incredibly bright dyes could help detect COVID-19 earlier, leading to faster testing even when only trace amounts of SARS-CoV-2 RNA are present. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, scientists search for ways to catch positive cases earlier and run samples faster. Rapid testing is crucial to slow the spread of the virus.
High-brightness dyes offer the promise of greatly improving COVID-19 testing methods. The testing approach using high-brightness PCR probes. Based on recently developed proprietary dyes several thousand times brighter than commercial products, the probes will detect the novel coronavirus with trace RNA in a much shorter time period and with fewer thermal cycles.
These high-brightness dyes could enable more robust testing and monitoring of viral RNA and could be applied to other virus and pathogen testing as well.