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.”
1,350 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tällainen on turvallinen hengityssuojain – Itse tehty maski auttaa vain osaa ja voi levittää koronaa
https://www.iltalehti.fi/koronavirus/a/dda968e6-b012-4e6e-8926-e1fca8e17cb6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft: This Windows 10 PowerShell script lets you securely fight coronavirus with Folding@home
Microsoft’s new PowerShell script runs Folding@home in Windows 10′s Sandbox secure virtual-machine container.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-this-windows-10-powershell-script-lets-you-securely-fight-coronavirus-with-foldinghome/#ftag=CAD-03-10abf5f
Microsoft has released a PowerShell script that helps Windows 10 users securely contribute their computer’s unused processing power to Folding@home. Distributed-computing disease research project Folding@home has turned its efforts to probing coronavirus COVID-19.
To help Folding@home simulate protein dynamics, users have already been downloading the software’s client for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
But now Windows 10 users can contribute their CPU power within the safety of the Windows Sandbox, Microsoft’s secure virtual-machine container intended for running suspicious files without risk of infecting the host machine with malware.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The test that calmed fears of going to the mailbox during the anthrax scare two decades ago may soon boost the number of people screened for coronavirus.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/biomedical/diagnostics/a-rapid-test-for-covid19-arrives-via-a-20yearold-technology-already-in-many-hospitals
Tomi Engdahl says:
Keep Tabs on the COVID-19 Crisis with This Wall-Mounted Status Board
The WiFi-enabled tracker fetches real-time data using an ESP32.
https://www.hackster.io/news/keep-tabs-on-the-covid-19-crisis-with-this-wall-mounted-status-board-1003d99e6431
Tomi Engdahl says:
Homemade Masks
https://xkcd.com/2290/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.securityweek.com/how-has-coronavirus-pandemic-impacted-cybersecurity-professionals
https://www.securityweek.com/free-security-tools-resources-offered-during-coronavirus-outbreak
Tomi Engdahl says:
Näin teet oikeaoppisen maskin lakanakankaasta – ei anna täyttä suojaa, viranomaiset varoittavat
https://www.iltalehti.fi/terveysuutiset/a/890965a2-c8ed-40ad-a933-a333296c2126
Viranomaiset varoittavat luottamasta liikaa itse tehtyyn koronamaskiin, vaikka jotain hyötyä siitä voi olla.
Itse tehty maski voi lisätä infektioriskiä, jos sitä ei pueta, käytetä ja pestä oikein.
Maski kannattaa tehdä ohuesta tiiviistä kankaasta, joka taitellaan moniin kerroksiin.
Itse tehty maski pitää voida pestä 90 asteessa.
Viranomaiset muistuttavat, että väärin käytettynä itse tehty maski lisää epäpuhtauksien määrää hengitysteiden edessä.
Oireettoman koronataudinkantajan maskin käytöstä voi olla hyötyä esimerkiksi liikennevälineissä ja kaupoissa, mutta siitä ei ole olemassa tieteellistä näyttöä.
Viranomaiset varoittavat tuputtamasta kenellekään maskin käyttöä.
Maski ei sovi kaikille
Sydän- ja verenkiertosairauksien, astman tai keuhkoahtaumataudin oireet voivat olla este käyttää suu-nenäsuojainta. Likainen maski voi aiheuttaa terveyshaitan.
Viranomaiset ovat antaneet ohjeet myös sellaisille harrastelijaompelijoille, jotka tekevät nyt maskeja myyntiin. Ohjeet löytyvät Tukesin sivuilta.
Paras keino suojautua koronavirusta vastaan on kuitenkin pysyä kotona, pitää ainakin 1-2 metrin etäisyys muihin ihmisiin ja pestä kädet vedellä ja saippualla tai puhdistaa ne alkoholipitoisella käsihuuhteella.
https://tukes.fi/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/itse-tehty-maski-ei-suojaa-koronavirukselta-hengityksensuojainten-pitaa-olla-turvallisia-ja-taata-riittava-suoja
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tukes antaa ohjeita käsidesin valmistukseen ja myyntiin
https://tukes.fi/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/tukes-antaa-ohjeita-kasidesin-valmistukseen-ja-myyntiin
Tarvitseeko käsidesi valmisteluvan?
Käsidesi on biosidivalmiste. Koska biosidivalmisteet tehdään tappamaan eliöitä, niiden maahantuonnille, myynnille ja valmistukselle on Euroopassa tiukat vaatimukset. Käsidesin pitää täyttää EU:n biosidiasetuksen 528/2012 vaatimukset. Riippuu käsidesin tehoaineesta, tarvitseeko valmiste Tukesin myöntämän luvan.
Valmistelupaa pitää hakea Tukesilta, jos käsidesin tehoaine on:
1-propanoli tai 2- propanoli. Valmistetta ei saa myydä ilman biosidiasetuksen mukaista lupaa.
seos, jonka kaikkien tehoaineiden riskinarviointi on valmistunut. Valmistetta ei saa myydä ilman biosidiasetuksen mukaista lupaa.
Valmistelupaa ei tarvitse hakea Tukesilta, jos käsidesin tehoaine on:
etanoli. Valmiste ei tällä hetkellä tarvitse biosidiasetuksen mukaista valmistelupaa.
seos, jossa on yksi tehoaine, jonka riskinarvio ei ole vielä valmistunut.
Jos valmistamasi käsidesin tehoaine on etanoli, etanolin toimittajan pitää olla Euroopan kemikaaliviraston (ECHA) hyväksyttyjen valmistajien listalla. Suomessa esimerkiksi Altia Oyj on hyväksytty toimittaja. Käsidesin tekijöiden pitää varmistaa, että kaikki tuotteiden tehoaineet tulevat hyväksytyiltä valmistajilta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vacuum cleaner HEPA allergy filters and bags:
N95 or KN95 face masks capture 95% of particles down to 0.3 micron. This means that 5% still get through the protection. HEPA air purifiers in contrast are 99.97% effective at 0.3 Micron and are much more efficient than face masks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/biomedical/diagnostics/a-rapid-test-for-covid19-arrives-via-a-20yearold-technology-already-in-many-hospitals
Tomi Engdahl says:
Grocery stores turn to robots during the coronavirus
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/business/grocery-stores-robots-automation/index.html
Local grocers and big chains alike are deploying robots to clean floors, stock shelves and deliver groceries to shoppers during the coronavirus.
Grocers are searching for ways to reduce pressure on store workers and increase efficiency amid a surge of shoppers visiting stores and ordering online during the crisis. They believe robots and AI offer solutions that can help them bring down costs and improve store operations.
“There’s strong interest in moving rapidly in this direction because everyone knows they need to raise their game to stay competitive and it’s ultimately more cost effective to automate than staff up, especially in today’s labor market,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Touchless Washing Hands Timer © CC BY
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/rjconcepcion/touchless-washing-hands-timer-8a2b6c
Health authorities recommend washing your hand for at least 20 seconds. This device monitors the time while you washing your hands.
Tomi Engdahl says:
France is officially working on ‘Stop Covid’ contact-tracing app
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/08/france-is-officially-working-on-stop-covid-contact-tracing-app/
France’s health minister Olivier Véran and digital minister Cédric O have officially announced that the French government is working on a smartphone app to slow the spread of COVID-19. The government is putting a stamp of approval on the Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT) project but remains cautious about what to expect from an app.
The European Commission reminded governments that they should implement “appropriate safeguards” as EU citizens are not going to trust contact-tracing apps if they don’t treat personal information appropriately.
That’s probably why the government is preventively trying to reassure people before releasing the Stop Covid app.
Led by Germany’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute for telecoms (HHI), the PEPP-PT project that was unveiled last week is a coalition of dozens of research institutions across multiple countries. France’s INRIA is a member of the PEPP-PT and the French government is willing to collaborate with the INRIA as part of the PEPP-PT effort.
They’re working on an open standard to develop contact-tracing apps. Those apps would rely on Bluetooth Low Energy to identify other phones running the same app. If, at some point, you are near an infected person, you would be notified.
details are still thin on the implementation of the PEPP-PT protocol in France. Privacy experts are debating the design of the system. Some argue that it should be as decentralized as possible. Smartphones should keep a log of your social interactions (via ephemeral Bluetooth identifiers).
The PEPP-PT project currently supports centralized and decentralized approaches, which means that governments have to decide on an implementation.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/06/eu-privacy-experts-push-a-decentralized-approach-to-covid-19-contacts-tracing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Real Lessons About 3D Printed Face Shields: Effective Engineering Response In Times Of Crisis
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/08/the-real-lessons-about-3d-printed-face-shields-effective-engineering-response-in-times-of-crisis/
3D printed face shields and other health equipment is big news right now. Not long ago, Prusa Research rapidly designed and manufactured 3D printed face shields and donated them to the Czech Ministry of Health. Their effort is ongoing, and 3D printers cranking out health equipment like the NIH approved design has been peppering headlines ever since.
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/20/prusa-advises-on-printed-medical-devices-releases-face-shield/
https://hackaday.com/2020/03/29/nih-approved-3d-printed-face-shield-design-for-hospitals-running-out-of-ppe/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackerfarm Launches Hyjeia, Offering Open Source Large-Scale UV-C Sterilization for SARS-CoV-2
https://www.hackster.io/news/hackerfarm-launches-hyjeia-offering-open-source-large-scale-uv-c-sterilization-for-sars-cov-2-99589663e9db
Building on the earlier NukeBox and NukeMeter projects, Hyjeia offers low-cost, large-scale UV-C sterilization for N95 masks and other PPE.
Chris “Akiba” Wang and colleagues at Hackerfarm have unveiled a large-scale decontamination system, aimed at stopping the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease it causes, based on a protocol developed by Nebraska Medicine: the Hyjeia Project.
Akiba began work on the project with two proof-of-concept creations last month: the NukeBox and the NukeMeter. The former was a home-made sterilization chamber based around off-the-shelf UV-C lamps, designed to make N95 masks and other protective equipment safe for reuse in the fight against COVID-19; the latter measured the intensity of the UV-C output, ensuring that the masks to be sterilized received the right dosage.
Akiba’s NukeBox Sterilizes N95 Masks for Reuse, While the NukeMeter Confirms That It’s Doing Its Job
https://www.hackster.io/news/akiba-s-nukebox-sterilizes-n95-masks-for-reuse-while-the-nukemeter-confirms-that-it-s-doing-its-job-141f1d60384e
Blasting viruses with UV-C is a known disinfectant, but how do you confirm your lamps are working properly? Enter the NukeMeter.
HYJEIA – AN OPEN SOURCE DECONTAMINATION SYSTEM
https://hackerfarm.jp/projects/hyjeia-an-open-source-decontamination-system/
THE HYJEIA PROJECT – OPEN SOURCE DECONTAMINATION
https://hackerfarm.jp/2020/04/the-hyjeia-project-open-source-decontamination/
https://github.com/Hackerfarm/hyjeia
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino is running an emergency response forum to get the Arduino community connecting, collaborating, and contributing to the fight against COVID-19. Together we are stronger! https://bit.ly/2JR7GlK
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?board=144.0
Tomi Engdahl says:
F1 auttaa: Mercedes keksi uudenlaisen hengityskoneen, valmistaa tuhannen päivätahdilla ja antaa ilmaiseksi muidenkin käyttöön
https://www.iltalehti.fi/formulat/a/c925cb06-1823-42a3-a0f9-ed6944aec986
Brittiläiset F1-tallit vastasivat kutsuun. Tarvittavia osia ja laitteita valmistetaan jo monissa tehtaissa, mutta Mercedes on nyt onnistunut kehittämään kokonaan uuden laitteen, jota se pystyy valmistamaan tuhannen kappaleen päivätahdilla.
CNN:n mukaan Britannian hallitus on tilannut maassa työskenteleviltä yrityksiltä kaikkiaan 10 000 uutta hengityslaitetta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MIT develops privacy-preserving COVID-19 contact tracing inspired by Apple’s ‘Find My’ feature
https://tcrn.ch/3bWB8CK
There are a number of proposals of how to implement a contact tracing system that preserves privacy, including a decentralization proposal for a group of European experts. In the U.S., MIT researchers have devised a new method to would provide automated contact tracing that taps into the Bluetooth signals sent out by everyone’s mobile devices, tying contacts to random numbers that aren’t linked to an individual’s identity in any way.
The system works by having each mobile device constantly be sending out random strings of numbers that the the researchers liken to “chirps” (though not actually audible). These are sent via Bluetooth, which is key for a couple of reasons, including that most people have Bluetooth enabled on their device all the time, and that it’s a short-range radio communication protocol that ensures any reception of a “chirp” came from someone you were in relatively close contact to.
If any person tests positive for COVID-19, they can then upload a full list of the chirps that their phone has broadcast over the past 14 days (which at the outside, should represent the full time they’ve been contagious). Those go into a database of chirps associated with confirmed positive cases, which others can scan against to see if their phone has received one of those chirps during that time. A positive match with one of those indicates that an individual could be at risk, since they were at least within 40 feet or so of a person who has the virus, and it’s a good indicator that they should seek a test if available, or at least self-quarantine for the recommended two-week period.
MIT’s team says that a critical next step to making this actually work broadly is to get Apple, Google and Microsoft on board with the plan. This requires close collaboration with mobile device platform operators to work effectively, they note. Extrapolating a step further, were iOS and Android to offer these as built-in features, that would go a long way towards encouraging widespread adoption.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A team of University of Florida engineers developed a cheap and easily sourced ventilator made with PVC, sprinkler valves, and Arduino. The design can be made for around $125 and could help with the demand for ventilators in the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://eu.news-press.com/story/news/2020/04/10/uf-led-ventilator-design-clears-first-fda-review/5124155002/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taking a break from search for dark matter, a team of over 250 physicists and engineers have released a low-cost ventilator design in the fight against COVID-19.
Particle Physicists Pivot to Produce the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM) for COVID-19 Patients
https://www.hackster.io/news/particle-physicists-pivot-to-produce-the-mechanical-ventilator-milano-mvm-for-covid-19-patients-f87c93c2f7ec
Taking a break from search for dark matter, a team of over 250 physicists and engineers have released a novel, low-cost ventilator design.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This simple, wrist-worn device will buzz whenever your hand gets close to your face: http://bit.ly/39LB73Y
Tomi Engdahl says:
Engineers Designing, Building Ventilators to Aid in the Fight Against COVID-19
https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2020/04/Stories/engineers-designing-building-ventilators
A group from Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering is using its time to create much-needed ventilators to aid the medical community.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple, Google Bring Covid-19 Contact-Tracing to 3 Billion People
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-10/apple-google-bring-covid-19-contact-tracing-to-3-billion-people?sref=StzN0HjU&utm_content=business&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&cmpid=socialflow-facebook-business
Apple Inc. and Google unveiled a rare partnership to add technology to their smartphone platforms that will alert users if they have come into contact with a person with Covid-19. People must opt in to the system, but it has the potential to monitor about a third of the world’s population.
The technology, known as contact-tracing, is designed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus by telling users they should quarantine or isolate themselves after contact with an infected individual.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-10/apple-google-bring-covid-19-contact-tracing-to-3-billion-people?sref=StzN0HjU&utm_content=business&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&cmpid=socialflow-facebook-business&fbclid=IwAR3hxFf-Oa06ggtY8avbIwStkzX6QiiEYKC8qhKhAuogU9aKDFH6uZ7xtWQ
Tomi Engdahl says:
This tutorial will walk you through assembling an air purifier that is capable of killing bacteria and even viruses.
Build Your Own Air Purifier That Kills Coronavirus
https://www.hackster.io/news/build-your-own-air-purifier-that-kills-coronavirus-732b8805fdc5
This tutorial will walk you through assembling an air purifier that is capable of killing bacteria and even viruses in the air.
Like most people in the world right now, you’re probably concerned about how to protect yourself from coronavirus (COVID-19). The best strategy you can take is to simply self-isolate and avoid other people. Hand sanitizer and an appropriate face mask can help when you do have to go outside. But if you want a way to help kill coronavirus and other nasties floating around in the air, it is possible to build an air purifier yourself with just a handful of basic components. Merenel Research has a tutorial that will walk you through how to build an air purifier that is capable of killing bacteria and even viruses in the air.
Current research on the topic is limited, but it appears that COVID-19 is not airborne. However, one study suggests that the virus can remain active in an aerosol for up to three hours. In this case, an “aerosol” could include the cough of an infected person. It probably isn’t necessary, but this purifier could help fight that possibility.
The primary components of the purifier are UV (UltraViolet) LEDs and a TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide) photocatalytic filter. UV light is already well-known for its ability to kill icky microscopic critters, and the TiO2 photocatalytic filter improves upon that.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Titanium-Dioxide-and-UV-Air-Purifier/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How could quantum computing aid in the coronavirus response? D-Wave Systems has received proposals to use its cloud service to model the spread of the virus, create schedules for hospital staff, and evaluate existing drugs as potential treatments.
Can Quantum Computers Help Us Respond to the Coronavirus?
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/can-quantum-computing-help-us-respond-to-the-coronavirus
D-Wave Systems has offered free cloud computing time on its quantum computer to COVID-19 researchers. The offer, unveiled last week, applies to work toward vaccines and therapies as well as epidemiology, supply distribution, hospital logistics, and diagnostics.
“We have opened up our service for free, unlimited use—for businesses, for governments, for researchers—working on solving problems associated with the pandemic,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE Senior Member Hadi Moradi and his team designed a low-cost and easy-to-build ventilator.
Iranian Engineers Develop Open Source Ventilator
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-member-news/engineers-iran-open-source-ventilator
THE INSTITUTE Hadi Moradi, an associate professor at the University of Tehran’s School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, is working to develop an open source ventilator for patients who have COVID-19. The IEEE senior member and his team have designed a low-cost and easy-to-build ventilator and plan to make its specifications available to manufacturing companies in Iran.
What problem are you trying to solve?
Hospitals around the world are experiencing a shortage of ventilators, which are commonly used to treat COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory distress. Because of the sophisticated structure and high production cost of the machines, it is not possible to rapidly manufacture them in large quantities. Therefore, we are trying to come up with simple-to-build automatic Ambu or respirator during this worldwide pandemic.
What technologies are you using?
The basis of the technology consists of a mechanism that pumps the required volume of air into the patient’s respiratory system at a given rate.
The system must also allow for healthcare professionals to manually pump air in case of an emergency, such as the loss of power at the hospital. To build the mechanical parts, we used a laser to cut plexiglass into gears and a simple controller, which is designed to run the motor at the desired rate and pressure. The system runs on a touch display to allow easy use of the system.
What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
The first one was making sure we finished this design in a timely manner. The team and I searched for previous work done by other engineers and discovered that Alexander H. Slocum, an engineering professor at MIT, started a similar project 10 years ago.
We contacted him and were told that he and his team had also begun to work on designing an automatic Ambus for the United States.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Medical ventilator is not just “a mechanism that pumps the required volume of air into the patient’s respiratory system at a given rate”. Such a pump is not sufficient for long term use and is likely to hurt the patient. I would have expected an IEEE site to post well-founded articles only and to give a broader picture. I recommend watching this video on the topic: https://youtu.be/7vLPefHYWpY
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mortality rate on a ventilator alone is 30%. The solution is more complicated than an easy to build ventilator. Sensors and feedback and a good algorithm is short handed when it comes to these.
the mortality rate for someone requiring a ventilator but without one is greater than 30%. Sensors, feedback, algorithms development will be facilitated as an open source project.
-Some doctors are saying the ventilators could be compounding the problem. It’s a therefore not panacea for this crisis.
It seems it’s actually easy to make a basic ventilator without pressure feedback.
Every other school has been making and posting models in social media.
If you have pressure sensors (less than a buck in Aliexpress), it’s a bit more complicated but still a day’s work with arduino.
But still with professional ventilators, which there’s no shortage any more in most countries, 80 % of patients die. Physicians are rethinking the use of ventilators to treat covid19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
There’s a lot that goes into producing a medical device, so the Medtronic design release is a huge step against COVID-19. But what next?
Makers vs. Virus: Community Contributed Efforts to Help Combat COVID-19!
https://www.hackster.io/news/makers-vs-virus-community-contributed-efforts-to-help-combat-covid-19-eb9486e11f04
We’re still in the midst of it. It’s unfortunate, but true.
Despite best efforts of everyone in practically every single aspect of life possible, we’re still seeing new COVID-19 cases daily.
However, there is an incredible sense of community being displayed in the response to this recent hardship.
We’ve seen a slew of DIY projects.
From creating Arduino-driven, servo-swinging, hand sanitizer-slinging robots to throwing machine learning at NVIDIA Jetson boards and FLIR Lepton thermal camera data, there’s a lot of people hell bent on helping the cause.
Perhaps the one of the more noteworthy bits of news on this topic was the release of the design files for the Medtronic PB560 ventilator.
Those interested in taking a look at the initial file set from Medtronic are free to register their details on the download page here.
https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/e/open-files.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lengthening Patent Terms by 10 Years is Exactly the Wrong Response to COVID-19
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/04/lengthening-patent-terms-10-years-exactly-wrong-response-covid-19
Governments around the world are taking steps to make sure that private corporations don’t use the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to make unjustified monopoly profits. They’re doing that by ensuring that governments can override patents and issue compulsory licenses for COVID-19 related treatments, vaccines, and tools. Canada’s recent COVID-19 bill authorizes the government to make and use patented inventions as needed in fighting the pandemic. Governments in Chile, Ecuador, Germany, and Israel have taken similar steps.
But in the U.S., lobbyists and lawyers for patent owners are pushing our government to move in the exact opposite direction. And they may succeed. Last week, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) introduced a bill that gives 10 extra years of patent rights (on top of the usual 20 years) to any “new or existing pharmaceutical, medical device, or other process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: are ventilators doing more harm than good to Covid-19 patients?
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3079526/coronavirus-are-ventilators-doing-more-harm-good-covid-19-patients
Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for patients on ventilators
Experts say ventilators can be damaging to a patient over time, as high-pressure oxygen is forced into a patient’s lungs
As health officials around the world push to get more ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, some doctors are moving away from using the breathing machines when they can.
The reason: some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some doctors worry that the machines could be harming certain patients.
The evolving treatments highlight the fact that doctors are still learning the best way to manage a virus that emerged only months ago. They are relying on anecdotal, real-time data amid a crush of patients and shortages of basic supplies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chemical Sweat Sensors, Originally Developed to Sell Drinks, Could Aid in the COVID-19 Fight
https://www.hackster.io/news/chemical-sweat-sensors-originally-developed-to-sell-drinks-could-aid-in-the-covid-19-fight-d6bb2ba7f873
A technology to tell athletes how much Gatorade to drink has been pivoted to monitor cytokine levels and may assist in monitoring COVID-19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apteekkari keksi nerokkaan tavan suojata työntekijänsä koronavirukselta – 3D-tulostaa nyt suojavisiirejä myös kotihoidon tarpeisiin: “On tullut jo kiitosta”
https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/apteekkari-keksi-nerokkaan-tavan-suojata-tyontekijansa-koronavirukselta-3d-tulostaa-nyt-suojavisiireja-myos-kotihoidon-tarpeisiin-on-tullut-jo-kiitosta/7782054#gs.3vm3y6
– Meillä on apteekissa 3D-tulostin, jota on käytetty muun muassa lääkerobottiin sopivien kehikoiden tulostamiseen. Eräänä päivänä tulostinvalmistaja laittoi sähköpostia, että heillä on yhdessä Tsekin terveysministeriön kanssa projekti meneillään, jossa tehdään lahjoitettavaksi tarkoitettuja suojaimia, Saastamoinen toteaa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Apple and Google Are Enabling Covid-19 Contact-Tracing
https://www.wired.com/story/apple-google-bluetooth-contact-tracing-covid-19/
The tech giants have teamed up to use a Bluetooth-based framework to
keep track of the spread of infections without compromising location
privacy.
The Challenge of Proximity Apps For COVID-19 Contact Tracing
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/04/challenge-proximity-apps-covid-19-contact-tracing
Around the world, a diverse and growing chorus is calling for the use
of smartphone proximity technology to fight COVID-19. In particular,
public health experts and others argue that smartphones could provide
a solution to an urgent need for rapid, widespread contact tracingthat
is, tracking who infected people come in contact with as they move
through the world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/engineers-hope-to-solve-ventilator-shortage-with-breast-pumps-220210835.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 Real-Time Data Monitor
This simple project visualizes the current data of the coronavirus outbreak of different countries in real-time on an M5StickC.
https://www.hackster.io/niyazthalappil/covid-19-real-time-data-monitor-7b43e5
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cellular Tracking Used During COVID-19 Pandemic
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/03/cellular-tracking-used-during-covid-19-pandemic/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.pfss.be/covid-19-disinfection-with-ozone/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.e-ville.com/hengityssuojainten-luokat-ja-kaytto/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This low-budget, easily reproducible device uses UVGI and dry heat to disinfect face masks for medical workers.
Face-Masks Disinfection Device — needlab
https://www.hackster.io/needlab/face-masks-disinfection-device-needlab-3ed2f5
UV-C / heat, Arduino-controlled, face-mask disinfecting device for Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
Tomi Engdahl says:
A team of four engineers have developed a novel ventilator for COVID-19 patients that repurposes low-cost and commonly-available breast pumps — and the conversion process can be done in as little as four hours with household tools.
Engineers Adapt Off-the-Shelf Breast Pumps and Arduinos Into Low-Cost Rapidly-Producible Ventilators
https://www.hackster.io/news/engineers-adapt-off-the-shelf-breast-pumps-and-arduinos-into-low-cost-rapidly-producible-ventilators-a0eb3f26f28d
Taking just four hours to convert, these breast-pump ventilators could help shore up supplies in the battle against COVID-19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jailbreak your CPAP machine with Airbreak
https://airbreak.dev/
In light of the COVID-19 crisis and resultant shortage of medical equipment, hospitals have developed protocols for using BiPAP (BIlevel Positive Airway Pressure) machines as non-invasive ventilators, the FDA has approved the use of these modified BiPAP devices as ventilators, and several groups are currently working on ventilator designs that involve a converted BiPAP. However, CPAP (Constant Positive Airway Pressure) devices are cheaper, more widely available, and similar both electrically and mechanically. Unfortunately, they are lacking in some features that the physicians require and, according to their manufacturer, CPAP machines “would require significant rework in order to function as a ventilator”.
What we have done is to “jailbreak” the the Airsense 10 CPAP machine, a common, low-cost sleep therapy device intended to treat sleep apnea, so that it is possible to run additional tasks on the device. These new tasks add the features and adjust the range of parameters that make it possible to use the device as a temporary ventilator. This can help ease the shortage until more real ventilators are available.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FAQs on Using UVC LEDs for Disinfection to Fight COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
https://www.klaran.com/is-uvc-effective-for-covid-19-coronavirus
COVID-19 has prompted researchers, manufacturers, and consumers alike to search for practical solutions that can prevent the spread of this deadly virus. Crystal IS- manufacturer of Klaran UVC LEDs and systems for disinfection- has seen a surge in interest for our high-performance UVC LEDs to potentially combat the virus. This page provides answers to common questions about Klaran UVC solutions for disinfection and COVID-19.
How Does COVID-19 Spread?
According to the CDC, Coronaviruses are generally thought to spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
How Do UVC LEDs Disinfect Pathogens
UVC energy is absorbed by nucleic acids inside the RNA and DNA, resulting in covalent bonds which at the right dose can render the pathogen unable to reproduce and infect. The most effective germicidal wavelength occurs with a peak between 260 nm to 270 nm, the point at which DNA absorbs UV energy the most.
UVC energy is a commonly used sterilization technology that has been shown to inactivate a wide range of pathogens (e.g. MRSA, C. diff, E. Coli and Pseudomonas). For many years, UV mercury lamps were considered the best choice.
In comparison, UV light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) can be configured to emit at ideal germicidal wavelengths and provide reliable on-demand disinfection without the limitations which hamper mercury lamps.
Are UVC LEDs Effective Against COVID-19 (Coronavirus)?
Studies have confirmed that UVC light can be effective for combating SARS-COV (source). However, additional studies are needed to determine and confirm the specific dose response required to inactivate COVID-19 on different surfaces and materials.
Can UVC LEDs be Used to Disinfect N-95 Filter Respirators?
In general, this is not recommended, as noted here. Healthcare providers should contact respirator manufacturers for specific guidance and recommendations on whether and how to disinfect Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs).
However, the CDC has published guidance on managing respirators during pandemics, which include the reuse and extended use of respirators. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of UV germicidal irradiation to reduce viral load, although the studies did report potential damage to the fit of these respirators.
What Products Available Today Can Help to Combat COVID-19?
OEMs around the world trust Klaran WD Series UVC LEDs and Klaran LE to provide effective surface disinfection in their products. For example, LED Tailor’s WiSDOM DS disinfection box-which is marketed to healthcare facilities
Tomi Engdahl says:
Supercomputer Modeling Tests How COVID-19 Spreads in Grocery Stores
https://www.hpcwire.com/2020/04/08/supercomputer-modeling-tests-how-covid-19-spreads-in-grocery-stores/
In the COVID-19 era, many people are treating simple activities like getting gas or groceries with caution as they try to heed social distancing mandates and protect their own health. Still, significant uncertainty surrounds the relative risk of different activities, and conflicting information is prevalent. A team of Finnish researchers set out to address some of these uncertainties by running supercomputer simulations of how pathogens like COVID-19 spread in spaces like grocery stores.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FDA authorizes production of a new ventilator that costs up to 25x less than existing devices
https://tcrn.ch/3bcPtuH
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the manufacture of the Coventor ventilator, a new hardware design first developed by the University of Minnesota. The project sought to create a ventilator that could provide the same level of life-saving care as existing ventilator models, but with a much lower cost to help ramp production quickly and make them affordable to the health institutions that need them.
The Coventor becomes the first of these types of novel ventilator designs to earn an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA. Just like it sounds, an EUA isn’t a full traditional medical device approval like the drug and device regulator would ordinarily issue, but an emergency, temporary grant in the interest of helping provide access to resources in short supply, or without the usual full chain of approvals, in times of crisis.
U of M’s Coventor, developed with a team including engineering and medical school faculty, is a desktop-sized device that costs around $1,000 to produce, making it a much more viable alternative if sold at cost to medical facilities when compared to the $20,000 to $25,000 retail price of your average existing hospital-grade ventilator hardware.
Both medical device maker Medtronic (the company that’s also working with Tesla on its ventilator manufacturing plans) and Boston Scientific (which will be producing the Coventor for distribution following this approval) contributed to the development of the design. The University also announced today that it would be making the Coventor’s specs open-source so that it can be manufactured globally, provided other companies seek and secure similar approvals from the FDA and relevant international health authorities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackers Have Some of the Best Ideas in War Against Coronavirus
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-15/hackers-have-some-of-the-best-ideas-in-war-against-coronavirus
Across Asia, hobbyists, web developers, and students are collaborating to track Covid-19 data and deliver the occasional messages of hope and cheer.
Lee Dong-hoon couldn’t take any more of the bloody masks. This was January, early in the coronavirus’s sweep through South Korea, and misinformation, including rumors about contaminated businesses and phony photos of masks supposedly from Covid-19 victims, seemed to be everywhere on social media. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was releasing detailed situation reports, but they were much tougher to decipher at a glance than a scary Facebook post. So Lee, an industrial engineering student at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, decided to create a website he hoped could act, in some small way, as a counterweight.
Within a day, the self-taught coder set up Coronamap.site to track the spread of infections.
He put the site online at 10 p.m. on Jan. 30 with $82 of his own money for web hosting. The following day, 2.4 million people read his Facebook post about it.
The site has remained one of South Korea’s leading sources for accurate, up-to-the-minute tallies of confirmed infections and places where infected people have circulated. “I hope we have zero infections soon so that everyone’s life can get back to normal,” Lee says. “Then I will close my website.”
http://coronamap.site/
Apple Inc. and Google are developing contact-tracing software to alert smartphone users when they come in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, but in South Korea, Taiwan, and other places, coders such as Lee have already stepped up to help keep people informed. Some are professional web developers, while others fancy themselves white-hat hackers (as in the good guys) or civic hackers who engage directly with their governments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 Has United Cybersecurity Experts, But Will That Unity Survive
the Pandemic?
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/04/covid-19-has-united-cybersecurity-experts-but-will-that-unity-survive-the-pandemic/
The Coronavirus has prompted thousands of information security
professionals to volunteer their skills in upstart collaborative
efforts aimed at frustrating cybercriminals who are seeking to exploit
the crisis for financial gain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Disinfection Robots Battle COVID-19 Spread
https://www.electropages.com/blog/2020/04/disinfection-robots-battle-covid-19-spread?utm_campaign=2020-04-15-Latest-Product-News&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Disinfection+Robots+Battle+COVID-19+Spread
The use of robots in the hospital setting for disinfecting purposes is being ramped up rapidly in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. Recently, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) the body that represents the robotics industry and research and development institutes in more than 20 countries, reported on some of the most recent developments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Robots deliver food in Milton Keynes under coronavirus lockdown
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/12/robots-deliver-food-milton-keynes-coronavirus-lockdown-starship-technologies
Starship Technologies’ small vehicles navigate pavements with no human driver required