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:
CPAP Firmware Hack Enables BiPAP Mode; Envisions Use As Temporary Ventilator
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/15/cpap-firmware-hack-enables-bipap-mode-envisions-use-as-temporary-ventilator/
Operating under the idea that a Constant Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine isn’t very far removed electrically or mechanically from a proper ventilator, [Trammell Hudson] has performed some fascinating research into how these widely available machines could be used as life support devices in an emergency situation. While the documentation makes it clear the project is a proof of concept and is absolutely not intended for human use in its current state, the findings so far are certainly very promising.
For the purposes of this research, [Trammell] has focused on the Airsense S10 which currently retails for around $600 USD. Normally the machine is used to treat sleep apnea and other disorders by providing a constant pressure on the lungs, but as this project shows, it’s also possible for the S10 to function in what’s known as Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) mode. Essentially this means that the machine detects when the user is attempting to inhale, and increases the air pressure to support their natural breathing.
https://airbreak.dev/
Tomi Engdahl says:
When Silicon Valley Vet Put Out Call To Help With COVID-19, Thousands Assembled For Global Hackathon
http://on.forbes.com/61841F5eY
Ten days later, more than 18,000 people from 175 countries had participated in the #BuildForCOVID19 Global Hackathon. Over five days engineering teams from the valley’s biggest firms — Facebook, Microsoft, Slack, SalesForce, TikTok, Twitter and others — joined forces to create tools to help society combat the health, economic and community challenges prompted by the pandemic. Six thousand students joined in the friendly competition.
Hackathon events are an age-old tradition in Silicon Valley as forums where some multi-million dollar startups like GroupMe and Carousell have been born. At Facebook, hackathons have spawned widely used tools including Blood Donations and Crisis Response.
And Lessin’s event was just one of the first among several directed at solving problems caused by coronavirus. In the last week of March, a five-day hackathon organized by Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design attracted more than 2000 applicants from 34 countries. MIT launched a series of events in April to brainstorm ways to protect vulnerable populations and assist health systems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Testing the Tests: Which COVID-19 Tests Are Most Accurate?
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/diagnostics/testing-tests-which-covid19-tests-are-most-accurate
Global regulators have largely stepped out of diagnostics manufacturers’ way to enable them to quickly bring COVID-19 tests to the public. That has led to a deluge of testing options on the market, and in many cases, the reliability and accuracy of these tests is unclear.
That led us to wonder: Is anyone testing the tests?
Tomi Engdahl says:
John Keefe Builds a Quick and Easy Arduino-Powered Pulse Oximeter Following COVID-19 Shortages
https://www.hackster.io/news/john-keefe-builds-a-quick-and-easy-arduino-powered-pulse-oximeter-following-covid-19-shortages-c5fa98bfe562
Built using a sensor from SparkFun, display from Adafruit, and an Arduino Uno from the parts drawer, Keefe’s project is eye-catching.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pulse oximeters are selling out because of the pandemic. Most people don’t need them
https://qz.com/1832464/pulse-oximeters-for-coronavirus-unnecessary-but-selling-strong/
The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a sudden interest in the humble fingerprint pulse oximeter, a medical device that lets people check their oxygen saturation levels. The small, handheld units normally attach to your finger or toe, and can be found at many pharmacies and grocery stores for $20 to $50. The devices are typically used by patients with respiratory illnesses to see if their blood oxygen level is low. It’s also used by athletes and pilots who may sometimes need to keep tabs on their oxygen supply.
But many with Covid-19 also experience their blood-oxygen levels dropping to lower than normal.
TV host Andy Cohen, who has recently recovered from Covid-19, told listeners on Andy Cohen Live on March 30 that owning a pulse oximeter was a source of relief for him. “You could scare yourself and think, ‘Oh my God, my lungs don’t feel right,’ but you could use this pulse oximeter and see, ‘OK, well actually, you’re fine, you’re within the range,’” he said.
US sales of fingerprint pulse oximeters spiked by 527% on the week of Jan. 20, which is when the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in the United States. It spiked again in mid-February, and while the rate of increase has gone down, sales have grown every week since then.
But doctors and professional medical organizations such as the American Lung Association and the American Thoracic Association are advising otherwise healthy patients to not buy a pulse oximeter.
Doctors normally prescribe pulse oximeters for patients with chronic lung disease, such as emphysema or pulmonary hypertension, who receive supplemental oxygen at home. Such patients need to regularly monitor their oxygen levels, so that they know when to increase the flow rate of their supplemental oxygen.
“There is no good role for a pulse oximeter for an otherwise healthy person who doesn’t have access to [supplemental] oxygen,”
When you put your finger inside a pulse oximeter, it shines a beam of light that detects the level of oxygen in your blood. It will then show your SpO2 measurement, which is the percentage of oxygen that your blood is carrying. Doctors consider an SpO2 of 95% and above to be normal. The American Thoracic Society says that most patients need an SpO2 of at least 89% to keep their cells healthy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Seoul Viosys has shown that its Violed LED modules could eliminate 99.9 percent of the SARS-COV-2 virus using a 30-second dose from a distance of three centimeters. But tech hurdles remain to widespread usage of UV-C LEDs to combat coronavirus.
Ultraviolet-LED Maker Demonstrates 30-Second Coronavirus Kill
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/optoelectronics/ultravioletled-maker-demonstrates-30second-coronavirus-kill
Robots and stranger machines have been using a particular band of ultraviolet light to sterilize surfaces that might be contaminated with coronavirus. Those that must decontaminate large spaces, such as hospital rooms or aircraft cabins, use large, power-hungry mercury lamps to produce ultraviolet-C light. Companies around the world are working to improve the abilities of UV-C producing LEDs, to offer a more compact and efficient alternative. Earlier this month, Seoul Viosys showed what it says is the first 99.9 percent sterilization of SARS-COV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, using ultraviolet LEDs.
UV LEDs are deadly to viruses and bacteria, because the 100-280 nanometer wavelength C-band shreds genetic material.
Unfortunately, it’s also strongly absorbed by nitrogen in the air, so sources have to be powerful to have an effect at a distance. (Air is such a strong barrier, that the sun’s UV-C doesn’t reach the Earth’s surface.) Working with researchers at Korea University, in Seoul, the company showed that its Violed LED modules could eliminate 99.9 percent of the SARS-COV-2 virus using a 30-second dose from a distance of three centimeters.
Unfortunately, the company did not disclose how many of its LEDs were used to achieve that. Assuming that it and the university researchers used a single Violed CMD-FSC-CO1A integrated LED module, a 30-second dose would have delivered at most 600 millijoules of energy. This is somewhat in-line with expectations. A study of UVC’s ability to kill influenza A viruses on N95 respirator masks indicated that about 1 joule per square centimeter would do the job.
The potential advantages of UV-C LEDs over mercury lamps include a lack of toxic mercury, better robustness, longer lifetimes, faster startup, and emission at a diversity of wavelengths, which may aid in their germicidal role. But it’s their potential for efficiency that could be most important.
At the moment, mercury lamps have a better wall-plug efficiency—electrical power in versus optical power out—than the UV-C LEDs on the market now. The wall plug efficiency of today’s UV-C LEDs is just 2.8 percent, with 3.3 percent-efficient systems in the R&D phase
Mercury lamps boast 15-35 percent.
The mercury lamp’s advantage is not expected to last, because researchers expect UV-C LEDs to follow a similar efficiency improvement path to solid-state lighting’s blue LEDs.
Blue LEDs typically have an internal quantum efficiency, the fraction of electrons injected into a specific part of the LED that result in the generation of photons—of about 90 percent. For UV-C it’s 30-40 percent, says Jeong. For external quantum efficiency—the ratio of photons emitted to electrons passing through the LED—the comparison is even worse. About 70 percent for blue LEDs versus 10-16 percent for UV-C devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/news-from-around-ieee/the-institute/ieee-member-news/researchers-spain-blockchain-ai-app-flatten-the-curve
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/medical-robots/telepresence-robots-are-helping-take-pressure-off-hospital-staff
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomalaistutkijat kehittävät kovaa vauhtia nenäsumutteena annettavaa koronarokotetta – valmis testeihin jo syksyllä
https://www.iltalehti.fi/koronavirus/a/3cf76dac-87e7-4885-9254-5b4bdbafe333
Suomalaistutkijat kehittävät parhaillaan kovaa vauhtia nenäsumutteena annettavaa koronavirusrokotetta, joka saadaan todennäköisesti testausvaiheeseen jo alkusyksystä tai jopa loppukesästä. Valmistumisvauhti olisi huomattavasti nopeampi kuin monissa muissa nyt esillä olleissa rokotehankkeissa.
Suomalaishankkeen uskotaan tuottavan nopeita tuloksia, koska rokotteen vaatima teknologia on jo valmiina.
rokotteen valmistamiseen ei tarvita itse koronavirusta, vaan ainoastaan sen pinnalla olevaa proteiinia. Tämä on merkittävä ero muihin kehitteillä oleviin rokotteisiin, joita pääasiassa yritetään valmistaa koronaviruksesta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/suomalainen-kokeellinen-koronarokote-voidaan-saada-jo-kesaksi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Natalia Drozdiak / Bloomberg:
EU issues guidelines to make COVID-19 contact tracing apps interoperable and says it will scrutinize Google and Apple’s proposed APIs to ensure compatibility
Google, Apple Covid-19 Tracking Tech Faces EU Scrutiny
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-16/google-apple-covid-19-tracking-tech-faces-eu-scrutiny
Bloc set common approach on tracking apps to exit lockdowns
Apple, Google announced new contact-tracing tech last week
The European Union said it will scrutinize Google and Apple Inc.’s proposed contact-tracing technology to ensure it meets the bloc’s new standards governing the deployment of Covid-19 apps.
Officials from member states and the EU’s executive arm will “seek clarifications on the solution proposed by Google and Apple,” the European Commission said on Thursday as it issued guidelines aimed at making the various virus-tracking apps interoperable.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Apple late last week announced they would add technology to their platforms to alert users if they have come into contact with a person with the coronavirus. While the system is voluntary, it has the potential to monitor about a third of the world’s population.
Mobile apps should be voluntary, approved by national health authorities, preserve users’ privacy and should be dismantled as soon as they are no longer needed, the EU said in its new guidelines, which are part of a broader effort to coordinate exit strategies among member states when they slowly lift existing lock-down measures. Authorities hope to draw on contact tracing apps to facilitate that process.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: NHS Contact Tracing App To Target 80 Percent of Smartphone Users
https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/04/16/2121201/coronavirus-nhs-contact-tracing-app-to-target-80-percent-of-smartphone-users?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
The University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute found that 56% of the general population, or 80% of current smartphone owners, would need to use a contact-tracing app for it to be effective in helping stop the coronavirus.
Coronavirus: NHS contact tracing app to target 80% of smartphone users
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52294896
A contact-tracing app could help stop the coronavirus pandemic, but 80% of current smartphone owners would need to use it, say experts advising the NHS.
The University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute has modelled a city of one million people to simulate the software’s impact.
If there is lower uptake, academics say the app would still help slow the spread of Covid-19.
They add that letting people self-diagnose the illness could be critical.
That means users would only have to answer an on-screen questionnaire before being judged to be at significant risk of infection. They would not have to speak to a health advisor or wait for a medical test result.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digital contact tracing can slow or even stop coronavirus transmission and ease us out of lockdown
https://045.medsci.ox.ac.uk/for-media
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tech Companies Keep Fighting COVID-19
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/tech-companies-keep-fighting-covid-19?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=12931&elq_cid=876648
A 3D printer maker switches to medical devices while an academic group creates ventilators using Home Depot parts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Balena’s Fold for Covid Makes Participating in COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 Research as Simple as Possible
https://www.hackster.io/news/balena-s-fold-for-covid-makes-participating-in-covid-19-sars-cov-2-research-as-simple-as-possible-7796df0a749a
Dig out your Raspberry Pis, NVIDIA Jetsons, old laptops, and more, and get them crunching numbers for the fight against COVID-19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spanish Researchers Use Blockchain and AI to Flatten the Curve
https://spectrum.ieee.org/news-from-around-ieee/the-institute/ieee-member-news/researchers-spain-blockchain-ai-app-flatten-the-curve
In Salamanca, Spain, two academic institutions—the Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca and the University of Salamanca—and the nonprofit Artificial Intelligent Research Institute have teamed up to design a blockchain and AI-based app that predicts the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team is being led by IEEE Member Juan Manuel Corchado and IEEE Senior Member Javier Prieto.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Economic Commission for Africa says the pandemic will take the lives of at least 300,000 Africans and risks pushing 29,000,000 into extreme poverty.
The United Nations Development Programme – UNDP and Hackster’s #COVID19DetectProtect Challenge is our chance to come together and help the world’s most vulnerable areas: https://bit.ly/2wCYjCY
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unable to find a pulse oximeter due to COVID-19 shortages, John Keefe decided to make his own with some readily available parts.
Can’t find a pulse oximeter? Create your own
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/04/17/cant-find-a-pulse-oximeter-create-your-own/
The sensor takes pulse and oxygen level readings from your fingertip, then shows the resulting numbers on an RGB NeoPixel shield. Although the unit is not medically approved to diagnose or treat medical conditions, it’s a neat display method, and it even features heart and lung icons to indicate what you’re seeing.
using a SparkFun Pulse Oximeter and Heart Rate Sensor module and an Arduino Uno.
https://johnkeefe.net/building-a-pulse-oximeter
https://github.com/jkeefe/diy-pulse-ox/tree/master
Tomi Engdahl says:
The COVID-19 pandemic is basically an unstable closed-loop system. Control theory shows us how to control it.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/diagnostics/how-control-theory-can-help-control-covid19
Tomi Engdahl says:
What’s Inside 3M N95 Respirator Masks? Find out!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=ZWkLqJrjWe8
See what’s inside a 3M type N95 respirator mask that makes it such a successful filter for all types of particulate matter such as dust, bacteria, and viruses. You’ll also see a great alternative material for making your own masks to prevent the spread of disease by protecting yourself and others. Stay safe! Enjoy the video.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The nature of scientific and engineering work fundamentally changed during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s how.
Engineering During the Coronavirus Pandemic
https://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/innovation/engineering-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google And Apple Reveal Their Coronavirus Contact Tracing Plans: We Kick The Tires
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/16/google-and-apple-reveal-their-corona-tracing-plans-we-kick-the-tires/
Google and Apple have joined forces to issue a common API that will run on their mobile phone operating systems, enabling applications to track people who you come “into contact” with in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s an extremely tall order to do so in a way that is voluntary, respects personal privacy as much as possible, doesn’t rely on potentially vulnerable centralized services, and doesn’t produce so many false positives that the results are either ignored or create a mass panic. And perhaps much more importantly, it’s got to work.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hundreds of academics back privacy-friendly coronavirus contact tracing apps
https://tcrn.ch/2wSykHQ
Hundreds of academics across the world have welcomed efforts to introduce privacy-friendly contact tracing systems to help understand the spread of coronavirus.
A letter, signed by nearly 300 academics and published Monday, praised recent announcements from Apple and Google to build an opt-in and decentralized way of allowing individuals to know if they have come into contact with someone confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
Apple and Google are launching a joint COVID-19 tracing tool for iOS and Android
http://social.techcrunch.com/2020/04/10/apple-and-google-are-launching-a-joint-covid-19-tracing-tool/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Makers for Life’s MakAir ST Nucleo-Powered Ventilator Design Targets Mass Production
https://www.hackster.io/news/makers-for-life-s-makair-st-nucleo-powered-ventilator-design-targets-mass-production-28f652dab48f
Designed specifically for mass production, the MakAir is a true open source ventilator design with filtration both in and out.
The Makers for Life consortium has released a design for the MakAir, which it claims to be a mass-producible ventilator suitable for use with COVID-19 patients — and it’s available under the highly permissive Unlicense.
“As of April 2020 and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals will soon start lacking mechanical artificial ventilators,” Makers for Life explains of the issue being addressed by the project. “We built a pump, and a valve system (controlled by electronics). This way, the breathing cycle can be enforced by proper air routing through the valve system.
“Our ventilator is able to handle pressure-controlled breathing, stabilised using a PID controller in the software. In order to ensure a proper breathing cycle (inhale + exhale), multiple valves need to be connected together to form a circuit. The motors needs to be controlled in harmony so that the air routing between each valve unit is consistent.”
Targeting a per-unit cost below €500 (around $544), the modular design doesn’t rely — in contrast with many other open source emergency ventilator designs — on mechanical control of an existing manual bag valve mask (BVM) “Ambubag” ventilator
Tomi Engdahl says:
As engineers, doctors, and everyday citizens tackle urgent problems with repurposed materials and raw ingenuity, the Maker Faire vision is more potent than ever.
(via Fast Company)
Maker culture’s DIY spirit is helping us get through this pandemic
https://www.fastcompany.com/90489974/the-maker-faire-spirit-is-helping-the-world-tackle-the-covid-19-crisis
As engineers, doctors, and everyday citizens tackle urgent problems with repurposed materials and raw ingenuity, the Maker Faire vision is more potent than ever.
Right now, all over the world, people are engaging in the construction of critical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), respirators, and other clinical items, using tools and techniques such as 3D printing, sewing, repurposing factory equipment, and other skills and ways of thinking. These innovations, in part, seem to have risen up from an early foundation of Maker Faire education. This education, and the communications describing it, have created a pipeline for information of how to innovate PPEs rapidly across the globe.
That’s not to say that every PPE innovation can be attributed to Maker Faire. But without Maker Faire, we may not have built the skills and the networks to rapidly innovate in the way many of us are able to do to keep ourselves safe and save lives.
Sadly, his company Maker Media went bankrupt last year as a result of factors such as reduced corporate sponsorships, leading to the end of the fairs it operated
However, the maker spirit continues—enabled by the Maker Faire’s strong brand and the connections people have made from attending prior Maker Faires, participating in internet groups, and sharing via YouTube videos and websites. Before the coronavirus crisis clobbered in-person events of all sorts, there were 60 smaller volunteer-led Maker Faires scheduled for the remainder of 2020, from Cleveland to Taipei, Taiwan. They license the Maker Fair name from Dougherty’s new company, Make Community.
https://make.co/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90492828/these-7-exceptional-apps-will-optimize-your-work-from-home-life
These 7 exceptional apps will optimize your work-from-home life
Improve your focus, organization, and efficiency—and maybe even tighten your glutes while you’re at it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Second COVID-19 Wave Could Stall Auto Industry Growth through 2021
https://www.designnews.com/covid-19/second-covid-19-wave-could-stall-auto-industry-growth-through-2021/24336269662845?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=12956&elq_cid=876648
According to Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research, a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak could stall a recovery in the global automotive sector, even before it started. This is as the re-implementation or the extension of safety measures, such as movement and business operating restrictions, will see demand for new vehicles falling further.
Fitch highlights that the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak presents a significant downside risk to our already bearish vehicle sales outlook. As such, in the event of a second wave of COVID-19 outbreak, Fitch estimates that global vehicle sales could decline by up to 25% in 2020 and weaken further over the first half of 2021 to possibly reach a further contraction of 10% in 2021. This compares with a 9.9% contraction in 2020 if there is a single wave, followed by modest growth in 2021.
However, the second wave will further drive up demand for medical equipment, especially ventilators, which could see demand outstrip this current global estimate of 880,000, which further makes the case for automakers to produce medical equipment.
Given the investments automakers are putting into starting the production of medical devices, Fitch’s Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare team believe that automakers’ medical device operations could continue even after the outbreak is over, which will increase the number of medical device companies globally. In Japan, both Honda and Toyota have medical device development divisions, which highlights the potential for other automakers such as Ford, GM and even Tesla to maintain their medical device partnerships and R&D centres, even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Repurposing Manufacturing for a COVID-19 World
Here are some strategies for rapid design and manufacturing solutions for PPE and other essential healthcare equipment.
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/repurposing-manufacturing-covid-19-world/162138383562852?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=12956&elq_cid=876648
The demand for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in the COVID-19 crisis is sky high, and this demand spike comes at a time when traditional supply chains for these and other healthcare products have been heavily disrupted. Companies are searching for ways to help deliver the products needed for our frontline healthcare workers. Meanwhile, manufacturing companies are trying to do whatever they can to support demand and keep their businesses relevant, as other demand dries up, and economic disruption looms.
Getting a new product to the consumer doesn’t happen overnight, but right now, there simply isn’t the time to go through all the traditional, tried and tested design cycles. Solutions need to be ready for production in days, not weeks or months. Accelerating this process requires a mammoth team effort and the collaboration, in parallel, of multiple skill sets and disciplines. There are a few key factors that need to be considered. The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted supply, demand and working practices. These disruptions will have to be factored in. At Fictiv, we have lived this experience, designing and bringing a face shield to market at volume in just a few days.
Tomi Engdahl says:
2 Billion Phones Cannot Use Google and Apple Contact-Tracing Tech
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2020/03/23/open-innovation-to-help-in-covid-19-pandemic/
As many as a billion mobile phone owners around the world will be unable to use the smartphone-based system proposed by Apple and Google to track whether they have come into contact with people infected with the coronavirus, industry researchers estimate. The figure includes many poorer and older people — who are also among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 — demonstrating a “digital divide” within a system that the two tech firms have designed to reach the largest possible number of people while also protecting individuals’ privacy.
The particular kind of Bluetooth “low energy” chips that are used to detect proximity between devices without running down the phone’s battery are absent from a quarter of smartphones in active use globally today, according to analysts at Counterpoint Research. A further 1.5 billion people still use basic or “feature” phones that do not run iOS or Android at all.
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/20/04/10/174224/apple-and-google-are-launching-a-joint-covid-19-tracing-tool
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spiro Wave emergency ventilator gains FDA authorization to address COVID-19 demand
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/20/spiro-wave-emergency-ventilator-gains-fda-authorization-to-address-covid-19-demand/?tpcc=ECFB2020
A new project designed to help address the growing need for ventilator hardware in order to treat the most serious cases of COVID-19 achieved an important milestone today, getting FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its units to be used and scaled for production. The hardware, dubbed “Spiro Wave,” is an emergency automated resuscitator that can be produced for less than $5,000, and that a team of engineers, doctors and researchers has already begun producing and delivering to care facilities.
The Spiro Wave essentially replicates the functionality of a manual resuscitator, a portable device that is typically operated manually to provide ventilation to emergency patients in case of emergency, but it automated the process, while still working with the same types of bags that are typically used with the manual version for easier sourcing of supplies.
Spiro Wave is based on MIT’s open-source E-Vent prototype design,
https://ventilatorresponse.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A team of Spanish researchers developed a low-cost, Arduino Nano-based pressure support ventilator for low-income regions of the world where supplies are limited.
Easy-to-Build $75 Open-Source Arduino Ventilator With High-Quality Performance
https://scitechdaily.com/easy-to-build-75-open-source-arduino-ventilator-with-high-quality-performance/
Ventilator could support coronavirus treatment in low-income regions or where supplies are limited.
A low-cost, easy-to-build non-invasive ventilator aimed at supporting the breathing of patients with respiratory failure performs similarly to conventional high-quality commercial devices, according to new research published in the European Respiratory Journal.
Non-invasive ventilators are used to treat patients with breathing difficulty and respiratory failure, a common symptom of more severe coronavirus disease. Non-invasive ventilation is delivered using facemasks or nasal masks, which push a set amount of pressurized air into the lungs. This supports the natural breathing process when disease has caused the lungs to fail, enabling the body to fight infection and get better.
The research team designed, built and tested the low-cost non-invasive ventilator with a small high-pressure blower, two pressure transducers and a controller with a digital display, which are available at a retail cost of less than $75 USD (equivalent to £60 GBP / €67 EUR).
An open-source description with full technical details on how to build the non-invasive ventilator is included in the research paper. The authors say that to build the device no prior knowledge of ventilation is required, and only basic engineering skills are needed.
Low-cost, easy-to-build non-invasive pressure support ventilator for under-resourced regions: open source hardware description, performance and feasibility testing
https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2020/04/16/13993003.00846-2020
Tomi Engdahl says:
France asks Apple to relax iPhone security for coronavirus tracking
app development
https://www.zdnet.com/article/france-asks-apple-to-relax-iphone-security-for-coronavirus-tracking-app-development/
A technical issue is stymying the development of a government app for
tracing COVID-19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Renesas Electronics Creates Open-Source Ventilator System Reference Design to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic
https://www.renesas.com/eu/en/about/press-center/news/2020/news20200416.html
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced a new open-source ventilator system reference design that customers can use to swiftly design ready-to-assemble boards for medical ventilators. Many regions are experiencing a critical shortage of ventilators as COVID-19 infections continue to rise and hospital demand exceeds supply.
“Renesas’ engineers have created a ventilator system reference design to address the challenges our global community faces as we fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chris Allexandre, Senior Vice President, IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. “Leveraging our broad product portfolio and system design expertise, we are enabling customers to accelerate their development of medical ventilator systems capable of operating in a home or hospital environment.”
Renesas’ engineers have followed several open-source ventilator designs, including the Medtronic PB560, to come up with an easy to assemble three board ventilator design. It controls the tidal volume and mixture of gas delivered to the patient while monitoring the patient’s status. The ventilator is portable and can be used with or without gas tanks. In addition, a humidifier can be connected to the ventilator’s intake path to soothe the patient’s breathing, making it more comfortable to be connected for long durations.
https://www.renesas.com/eu/en/solutions/healthcare/clinical/ventilator-system.html?utm_campaign=winning_combos_ventilator&utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press_release&utm_content=ventilator_system_winning_combo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Innovators from around the world have rallied to create new gear for workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. But their good intentions come to naught if they don’t meet minimum standards.
Group Aims to Test the Safety of DIY Medical Supplies for COVID-19
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/devices/group-aims-to-test-the-safety-of-diy-medical-supplies-for-covid19
As workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic struggle to find adequate medical supplies and protective gear, innovators from around the world have rallied to create new designs from readily available materials. These include 3D-printed face shields and nasal swabs, plus ventilator machines and an open-source oxygen concentrator.
While the response from these well-intentioned innovators is inspiring, there remains some issues around the use these new designs—one in particular being that very few were designed to meet minimum safety standards or vetted at an early enough stage to help these pop-up equipment manufacturers make the necessary adjustments.
One group, called Collaborating to Address Shortages of Medical Supplies (CASMS), has formed to address the issue.
Upon coming up with the design, it became evident that the hospital may not be able to use the face shields without assurance that basic standards were met.
“So that was very frustrating,” say Dempsey. “Because we had this supply of emergency shields and we had a solution, but we can’t get it into the hands of the caregivers.
“But then I realized that it’s [necessary] that the things that do get into the hands of caregivers are safe. You don’t want sub-quality stuff to be used. So that was the genesis of CASMS. We had to figure out a way to have both speed and safety.”
Existing specifications for a face shield may be very detailed and include features that are not applicable to the COVID-19 crisis, but are related to different tasks, such as welding for example. The CASMS group pares down these specifications to make them applicable to the pandemic.
Adjusting the specifications also helps by eliminating the need for expensive or specialized equipment.
CASMS may suggest a simpler test fixture that only tests the features important to healthcare workers. “It tests the same thing, but in a much simpler way,” Dempsey explains.
Dempsey is emphasizing the need for people to shift the focus from designing to testing.
https://cimit.org/-/casms-collaborating-to-address-shortages-of-medical-supplies?redirect=%2Fhome
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cryptographer suggests Australia adopt decentralised model for COVID-19 app
https://itwire.com/government-tech-policy/cryptographer-suggests-australia-adopt-decentralised-model-for-covid-19-app.html
Australia should not follow Singapore and adopt a centralised model for its coronavirus contact-tracing app, cryptographer Vanessa Teague says, pointing out that with this model if someone tests positive, their list of contacts is given to the authorities.
Outlining the way Singapore’s TraceTogether app works, Teague, who is the chief executive of Thinking Cybersecurity, said in a post on GitHub that when one phone was near another, the app sent random-looking beacons over Bluetooth. These TempIDs were encrypted and generated by the central server and there were several problems with this model.
“When you download your encrypted IDs, you are relying on them to be a truthful reflection of your ID. If a software bug, security problem, or network attack gives you someone else’s encrypted IDs instead, you have no way to notice,” she said. “If you send IDs that are not yours, then when someone near you tests positive, you will not be notified.”
“Crucially, even if we get the source code for the Australian app, we cannot test that the encryption is being computed properly, since it is not being computed by the app,” Teague said.
“Singapore’s server code is openly available (good), but an Australian server could decide to downgrade its encryption at any time, even after deployment, and could do so for some people but not others. This would make you easily tracked through shopping malls and other public (and private) spaces, even if you never test positive.”
The Singapore app trusted Google’s Firebase cloud to hold all the information that was collected and Firebase employees were able to access private information.
“In its TraceTogether form, I would be happy to run it on the train but refuse to run it in my home or office,” she said. “I need to see the details of Australia’s version before I decide. Informed consent requires telling us what we’re consenting to. Open source code is a minimal requirement.”
https://github.com/vteague/contactTracing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers To Doctors: Stop Putting COVID-19 Patients On Invasive Ventilators
https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/04/22/2035254/researchers-to-doctors-stop-putting-covid-19-patients-on-invasive-ventilators?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
A paper recently published by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene adds further support to recent CDC guidelines for minimizing the use of invasive ventilators. As physicians had been voicing concern that doctors were being too eager to put patients on invasive ventilation and may be doing more harm than good, the investigators looked into outcomes of intubated patients vs. non-intubated patients experiencing hypoxia. Unlike with other forms of pneumonia, they found that COVID-19 patients were unusually damaged by invasive ventilation but also able to tolerate higher levels of anoxia
New analysis recommends less reliance on ventilators to treat coronavirus patients
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/21/coronavirus-analysis-recommends-less-reliance-on-ventilators/
By using ventilators more sparingly on Covid-19 patients, physicians could reduce the more-than-50% death rate for those put on the machines, according to an analysis published Tuesday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The authors argue that physicians need a new playbook for when to use ventilators for Covid-19 patients — a message consistent with new treatment guidelines issued Tuesday by the National Institutes of Health, which advocates a phased approach to breathing support that would defer the use of ventilators if possible.
As the pandemic has flooded hospitals with a disease that physicians had never before seen, health care workers have had to figure out treatment protocols on the fly. Starting this month, a few physicians have voiced concern that some hospitals have been too quick to put Covid-19 patients on mechanical ventilators, that elderly patients in particular may have been harmed more than helped, and that less invasive breathing support, including simple oxygen-delivering nose prongs, might be safer and more effective.
The new analysis, from an international team of physician-researchers, supports what had until now been mainly two hunches: that some of the Covid-19 patients put on ventilators didn’t need to be, and that unusual features of the disease can make mechanical ventilation harmful to the lungs.
If a Covid-19 patient is clearly struggling to breathe, then invasive ventilation makes sense, wrote Marcus Schultz of Amsterdam University Medical Centers and his colleagues.
But using low levels of blood oxygen (hypoxemia) as a sign that a patient needs mechanical ventilation can lead physicians astray, they argue, because low blood oxygen in a Covid-19 patient is not like low blood oxygen in other patients with, for instance, other forms of pneumonia or sepsis.
many Covid-19 patients with oxygen levels in the 80s (the high 90s are normal) and even lower are able to speak full sentences without getting winded and in general show no other signs of respiratory distress, as their hypoxemia would predict.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/white-hat-hackers-help-fold-covid-19-proteins-/d/d-id/1337629?fbclid=IwAR3ttBMHlyULOd2jWp_QDMVQ3HqMG_cDLBQnsKwzz8I1GudjoEPB-wtJUu0
Tomi Engdahl says:
First version of Apple and Google’s contact tracing API should be
available to developers next week
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/23/first-version-of-apple-and-googles-contact-tracing-api-should-be-available-to-developers-next-week/
The first version of Apple and Google’s jointly developed,
cross-platform contact tracing API should be available to developers
as of next week, according to a conversation between Apple CEO Tim
Cook and European Commissioner for internal market Thierry Breton.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: Israel halts police phone tracking over privacy concerns
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52395886
The use by Israel’s police of mobile-phone location data to enforce
quarantine has been halted because of privacy concerns.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Report: EU commissioner says Tim Cook told him Apple and Google’s contact tracing API will be available to developers from April 28 — The first version of Apple and Google’s jointly developed, cross-platform contact tracing API should be available to developers as of next week …
First version of Apple and Google’s contact tracing API should be available to developers next week
https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/23/first-version-of-apple-and-googles-contact-tracing-api-should-be-available-to-developers-next-week/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Boston Dynamics says its quadruped Spot robot is in use at one Boston hospital for remote triage of patients suspected of having COVID-19
Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is helping hospitals remotely treat coronavirus patients
https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21231855/boston-dynamics-spot-robot-covid-19-coronavirus-telemedicine
The company has ambitious plans for using robots to assist COVID-19 treatment
Tomi Engdahl says:
Boston Dynamics Open-Sources Health Care Robotics Toolkit, Sends ‘Spot’ Robot To Help Hospitals Remotely Treat COVID-19 Patients
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/20/04/23/2058215/boston-dynamics-open-sources-health-care-robotics-toolkit-sends-spot-robot-to-help-hospitals-remotely-treat-covid-19-patients?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
Spot, the four-legged robot made famous by its YouTube dance video, is being tested as a remote triage system at Boston’s Brigham Women’s Hospital. A Spot robot carrying an iPad allows doctors to interview possibly infected patients at a safe distance. [Spot is also carrying a pouch near the robot’s “tail,” which allows it to deliver small items such as bottled water to infected patients, without the need to send in a nurse.
An anonymous Slashdot reader also shares news that Boston Dynamics today open-sourced its health care robotics toolkit on GitHub. “The company hopes that existing Boston Dynamics customers and other mobile robot providers can use the toolkit, which includes documentation and CAD files of enclosures and mounts, to help health care workers and essential personnel and ultimately save lives,” reports VentureBeat. “The mobile robot provider outlined four use cases for its toolkit: telemedicine (which it has already deployed), remote vitals inspection, disinfection, and delivery.”
https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/23/boston-dynamics-open-sources-health-care-robotics-toolkit/
A repo to share resources related to configurations for hospital applications.
Mobile robots can help keep healthcare workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by separating them from patients, minimizing the number of in-person interactions required during a course of treatment, and by reducing overall consumption of personal protective equipment. Boston Dynamics has been working with healthcare organizations to model and test the use of mobile robots in the following applications:
Telepresence and telemedicine
Remote vital inspection
Disinfecting hospital rooms
Internal delivery
https://github.com/boston-dynamics/bosdyn-hospital-bot
Tomi Engdahl says:
Right now, telemedicine could be key to keeping frontline healthcare workers safe. To that effect, plenty of robots [have been deployed](https://www.fastcompany.com/90494765/the-unsung-heroes-of-the-covid-19-crisis-robots?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds) to help hospitals remotely monitor patients, disinfect surfaces, make deliveries, and bring food to quarantined people.
Now, Boston Dynamics is [jumping on this bandwagon](https://www.bostondynamics.com/COVID-19) with its nightmare robot dog, Spot.
https://gizmodo.com/telemedicine-doesnt-need-boston-dynamics-nightmare-robo-1843023029
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mail a “Video Phone” to a COVID-isolated senior
https://hackaday.io/project/171101-mail-a-video-phone-to-a-covid-isolated-senior
Convert an Android tablet into an easy-to-use “video phone” for a parent/grandparent isolated by COVID.
I bought an $80 used 4G tablet on eBay, and added it to my wireless plan for $10/month. Then I installed Skype, and turned on Skype’s “answer calls automatically” feature.
I also labeled the charging port and power/volume buttons with duct tape and a sharpie.
I sanitized it and mailed it to my grandmother, with the charger already plugged into the tablet. The tablet sips power while asleep, so you can leave it on when you ship it. All the senior needs to do is unbox it and plug into the wall, and they’re ready to receive calls!
You can give their Skype contact details to the rest of your family, so that they can contact them as well.
If you’d like a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough for finding and setting up a tablet like this, I’ve written up a “beginner-friendly” version of this guide here: https://tabletconnect.org/instructions
Otherwise, here are some additional suggestions that I suggest following for the project:
- Install Facebook Messenger on the tablet as a backup for Skype, in case Skype stops working. Unfortunately Skype is the only Android app that I could find with auto-answer capability, but if it fails maybe the senior can figure out how to manually pick up a Facebook Messenger video call.
- Install the TeamViewer Host app on the tablet, and connect it to your TeamViewer account. In theory, this will let you remote control the tablet if there is ever a problem. In reality I’ve found TeamViewer to be a bit unreliable on Android, but it can’t hurt!
- Want to involve your parent/grandparent in a group Skype call? You can do that! In your own Skype account, click “Meet Now” to create a group meeting. Send the generated meeting link to anyone you want to include
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D-Printed COVID Stuff That’s Not Face Shields Or Ventilators
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/23/3d-printed-covid-stuff-thats-not-face-shields-or-ventilators/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Will COVID-19 Impact New Tech?
Will 5G be delayed? Is more automation coming? Will we all be working in VR soon? Blockchain? Here’s a look at the technologies being helped (and hurt) by the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/how-will-covid-19-impact-new-tech/97622422862860?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=12978&elq_cid=876648
There’s no question at this point that the COVID-19 pandemic is going to have a major economic impact on the world. With that comes the question of how new and emerging technologies will be impacted as well. The temptation is to think that everyone will suffer due to supply chain disruptions, work stoppages, and other issues. But that’s not the case across the board.
Tomi Engdahl says:
An introduction to ventilators
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/04/24/covid-update-an-introduction-to-ventilators/
In this new series on ventilators on the Arduino blog, we will explore these devices more detail. We will focus on the steps needed to test a ventilator. Also, on the different technologies available to move the air in a precise way. We will highlight what clinical variables do doctors need. And we will interview some of the teams working on these devices. Let’s start with a brief overview of ventilators using Arduino as a control system!
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Vital Hack Could Turn Medical Devices Into Ventilators
Hundreds of thousands of lower-grade breathing devices are going unused because manufacturers say they can’t perform life-saving functions. But a new patch might change that.
As infections from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to climb, hospitals around the world are struggling with a potentially fatal shortage of ventilators, the bedside machines that help patients breathe when they’re unable to do so on their own. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of lower-grade breathing devices known as continuous positive airway pressure machines sit idle in closets or warehouses because their manufacturers say they can’t perform the same life-saving functions.
Security researcher Trammell Hudson analyzed the AirSense 10—the world’s most widely used CPAP—and made a startling discovery. Although its manufacturer says the AirSense 10 would require “significant rework to function as a ventilator,” many ventilator functions were already built into the device firmware.
https://www.wired.com/story/a-vital-hack-could-turn-medical-devices-into-ventilators/
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/04/firmware-jailbreak-lets-low-cost-medical-devices-act-like-ventilators/
https://airbreak.dev/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/04/24/covid-update-an-introduction-to-ventilators/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers (using Arduino) passed a critical test on Tuesday at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, an epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States.
NASA Develops COVID-19 Prototype Ventilator in 37 Days
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7646