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:
India’s contact tracing app is going open source
https://tcrn.ch/2M0159w
India said it will publicly release the source code of its contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu, in a relief to privacy and security experts who have been advocating for this ever since the app launched in early April.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A firmware update that was proven to reduce the virus by at least 99%
Ford’s cop cars can now kill coronavirus with extreme heat
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/fords-cop-cars-can-now-neutralize-coronavirus-with-extreme-heat
Ford is ready to bring the heat to the coronavirus fight.
The automaker has developed a software update for some of its Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility patrol vehicles that allows them to use the climate control system to raise the cabin temperature to 133 degrees for 15 minutes to help kill any coronavirus inside.
Research conducted in conjunction with The Ohio State University found that the cycle could reduce concentrations of the virus present by up to 99 percent.
The software is compatible with the 2013-2019 models of the SUV. Depending on the year, the feature is engaged either with a smartphone app or by manually inputting a code using the cruise controls buttons on the steering wheel then exiting the vehicle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/contests/touchlessdomore
TOUCH LESS, DO MORE
DESIGN A SOCIAL DISTANCING OR TOUCH-FREE SOLUTION WITH ARDUINO.
Tomi Engdahl says:
To aid in the fight against COVID-19, these engineers have developed an open source digital stethoscope that uses AI for diagnosing respiratory symptoms and empowers doctors via telemedicine.
Digital Stethoscope AI
https://www.hackster.io/339769/digital-stethoscope-ai-1e0229
Building a digital stethoscope under $1. Using AI for diagnosing respiratory symptoms, and empowering doctors via telemedicine for COVID19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Surgeons have some tips they’ve been working on for years.
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/face-mask-fogging-up-your-glasses-here-s-what-you-can-do-about-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Engineers at Indiana University have demonstrated for the first time that a fabric generating a weak electric field can inactivate coronaviruses. The electroceutical fabric eventually could be used to make face masks and other personal protective equipment.
Using Weak Electric Fields to Make Virus-Killing Face Masks
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/using-weak-electric-fields-to-make-viruskilling-face-masks
Face masks help limit the spread of COVID-19 and are currently recommended by governments worldwide.
Now, engineers at Indiana University demonstrate for the first time that a fabric generating a weak electric field can inactivate coronaviruses. The electroceutical fabric, described in a ChemRxiv preprint that has not yet been peer-reviewed, could be used to make face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), the authors say.
The fabric was tested against a pig respiratory coronavirus and a human coronavirus that causes the common cold. It has not yet been tested against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
https://chemrxiv.org/articles/Electroceutical_Fabric_Lowers_Zeta_Potential_and_Eradicates_Coronavirus_Infectivity_upon_Contact/12307214
Tomi Engdahl says:
Could These See-Through Shields Be the Future of Restaurant Dining?
Designer Christophe Gernigon has a bold idea for keeping restaurant dining hygenic.
https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a32493222/christophe-gernigon-plastic-shields-restaurants-coronavirus/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=socialflowFBHBU
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE Fellow Ravinder Dahiya and Andrew Hart break down the differences in DIY ventilators.
DIY Ventilators for COVID-19 Could Be a Vital Stopgap
https://spectrum.ieee.org/news-from-around-ieee/the-institute/ieee-member-news/diy-ventilators-for-covid19-could-be-a-vital-stopgap
Respiration being an absolute requirement for life, it is not surprising that the mechanical ventilators found in intensive care units have been in great demand during the past few months. These devices use a mobile compressor to assist with the patient’s breathing by pushing air through a tube placed in the trachea to expand the lungs.
The need for mechanical ventilators has far outpaced the number available. There are many efforts to address the supply shortage.
While these endeavors aim to produce ventilators that are closer to the current standard medical equipment used in ICUs, we are also seeing a wave of interim DIY devices being developed to increase the supply. These rapidly scalable, low-cost emergency ventilators (EVs) are mainly the automated version of manual bag-based resuscitator devices, commonly known as Ambu bags or bag valve masks (BVMs).
These small, compact, balloon-like bags have a soft air reservoir that can be squeezed by medical professionals to inflate a patient’s lungs. Oxygen is administered via tubing to this bag. Exhalation occurs due to elastic recoil of the patient’s chest, and the bag resumes its original shape. BVMs can theoretically support a patient indefinitely, but in reality, it is a temporary measure as manual compression is tedious and lacks good control.
The DIY emergency ventilators address this issue by automating the squeezing of the bag. They are open-source and typically built using off-the-shelf parts, widely available materials, and simple fabrication and assembly techniques. A few examples include MIT’s E-Vent, Oxford University and King’s College London’s OxVent and University of Glasgow’s GlasVent.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Needed: A PPE Industrial Commons
https://www.eetimes.com/needed-a-ppe-industrial-commons/
Shortages and rationing are foreign concepts to most Americans. But the Covid-19 pandemic has shocked our nation of plenty as Americans scrambled to stock up hand sanitizer and facial masks. Young and healthy citizens find it a nuisance to search for these materials, but they can still protect themselves to a great extent by wearing a cloth face covering, washing their hands with soap and following social distancing guidelines. However, social distancing is not possible for the sick and elderly requiring long-term care from healthcare workers. Hence, the dire shortage of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks (known for filtering at least 95 percent of airborne particles) can be disastrous for this group of vulnerable people.
PPE shortages are widely assumed to be caused by an unpredictable, novel coronavirus. Is a spike in demand for gowns and masks the true cause?
Like an earthquake, it is difficult to predict the timing and the scale of a pandemic. However, we have experienced SARS outbreak in 2003 and H1N1 pandemic in 2009, and there were warnings from various reports including a Health Security study published in 2017 that concluded, “The U.S. PPE supply chain has minimal ability to rapidly surge production, resulting in challenges to meeting large unexpected increases in demand that might occur during a public health emergency” (emphasis added).
These warnings fell into deaf ears, which is among the reasons the U.S. was not prepared to respond to the pandemic.
Lack of proactive planning, coordinated response
Ill-prepared, the U.S. performed poorly in responding to the initial coronavirus outbreak in China disclosed in January; then the confirmed pandemic declared by the World Health Organization in March.
Lessons learned: self-sufficient supply capabilities, supply chain visibility
How can the U.S. government prepare better to deal with the next pandemic? The PPE shortages amid the pandemic taught us three lessons.
First, having billions of N95 masks in the Strategic National Stockpile is certainly unrealistic and impractical, because they will expire after 3 to 5 years.
Second, reshoring all the overseas PPE manufacturing facilities owned by U.S. firms (such as 3M and Honeywell) back to the United States is also unrealistic and impractical because such firms are multinational manufacturers serving healthcare markets around the globe.
Third, relying on offshored PPE supply from China or faraway places is risky, as we learn from an ancient Chinese idiom: “Distant water will not quench a fire nearby”
Reflecting upon these lessons, it is clear to us that a reliable supply of PPE for the next pandemic should not be based on a ballooning Strategic National Stockpile or ill-conceived protectionist policies. Instead, the U.S. must develop a plan to scale its capability to design, develop and produce sufficient PPE domestically so the U.S. government can deploy in time to save lives.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kirsten Grind / Wall Street Journal:
COVID-19 Technology Task Force, an effort to let big tech companies assist White House’s pandemic response, beset by disagreements over privacy and other issues
Tech’s First Big Plan to Tackle Covid-19 Stumbles: ‘An App Is Not Going to Fix This’
https://www.wsj.com/articles/techs-first-big-plan-to-tackle-covid-19-stumbles-an-app-is-not-going-to-fix-this-11590757102?mod=djemalertNEWS
Effort to join Silicon Valley tech giants including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon with the White House to fight the coronavirus is faltering
A heralded effort to bring together Silicon Valley tech giants, investors and the White House on tools to fight the new coronavirus is fizzling.
In March, a cohort of influential technology leaders formed a task force to devise tech solutions for the pandemic, a signal that the nation’s innovation engine was kicking into gear.
Months later, the Technology and Research Task Force’s biggest plans, such as a hospital-bed tracker, contact-tracing tools and a project to ship Kindle devices to nursing-home residents, have failed to materialize amid what members say were disagreements over privacy and other issues. It has cycled through members and a leadership change, and some of the group’s biggest names, from Microsoft and Facebook to the White House, have dropped out or are playing minimal roles.
Members say that the experience has shown them that the tech industry can play an important supporting role as the world battles the coronavirus crisis, but technology alone won’t save the day.
“An app is not going to fix this,” said John Borthwick, a New York-based venture capital investor who is now leading the group.
The task force had been working with developers building contact-tracing apps, one of its goals. When Apple Inc. AAPL -0.10% and Google later announced their own effort to help track infected people on behalf of governments, some members say they were taken aback. Some questioned its effectiveness and the companies’ ability to keep user information completely private, members said.
The group is organizing a virtual “hackathon,” to drive interest in tackling the issue of social isolation, and is hosting a series of online events on contact tracing with public health officials and other experts.
As they brought together representatives from tech giants and government in March, task force members harnessed the “save the world” ethos that for years has defined Silicon Valley.
Everyone wanted to help. The biggest problem was managing the deluge of ideas pouring in from the tech community, members say.
The group soon ran into controversy: privacy. After seeing tech giants get hammered by regulators and lawmakers over data-collection practices pre-pandemic, conversations about tracking individuals’ virus exposure via cellphones and other initiatives got lost in policy and regulatory concerns.
Caroline Buckee, a Harvard University epidemiologist and early member of the task force, said weekly Zoom meetings devolved into long discussions about privacy implications and best practices for data.
“It was fragmented and it was unclear what the goals were,” Ms. Buckee said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Hand Sanitizer/Alcohol Dispenser, without an Arduino or MCU
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/hesamavr/articles/diy-hand-sanitizer-alcohol-dispenser-without-an-arduino-or-mcu?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EEWebEngInsp-20200528
Tomi Engdahl says:
“We have had a level of innovation in five weeks that hasn’t happened in five years. This is the interesting thing that is happening.”
David Cuartielles recently chatted with Supplyframe’s Sophi Kravitz and Bradley Ramsey regarding his work with the CoronavirusMakers group in Spain, manufacturing PPE and critical medical devices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Makers Manufacturing Ventilators: An Interview with Coronavirus Makers in Spain
https://resources.supplyframe.com/makers-manufacturing-ventilators-an-interview-with-coronavirus-makers-in-spain/
We spoke with David Cuartielles and Cesar García who are located in Madrid about the Coronavirus Makers group, and one of their most important missions, the ventilator.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/makers-manufacturing-ventilators-interview-spain-bradley-ramsey
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-member-news/ieee-presidents-column-strength-and-solidarity-in-responding-to-the-challenges-of-covid19
Tomi Engdahl says:
16 Medtech Companies with Innovations Centered Around COVID-19
https://www.mddionline.com/17-medtech-innovations-centered-around-covid-19?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13299&elq_cid=876648
Here are 16 medtech startups that have developed technologies related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/02/social-distancing-headgear-for-the-futuristically-inclined/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open-Source Release Allows Manufacturers Worldwide to Produce the UMN’s Low-Cost Ventilator
The design for a low-cost ventilator created at the University of Minnesota has now been released as open-source to expedite production and distribution of the device.
https://www.mddionline.com/open-source-release-allows-manufacturers-worldwide-produce-umns-low-cost-ventilator?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13346&elq_cid=876648
FDA issued an emergency use authorization for the device, dubbed the Coventor, on April 14. Now, the UMN has made the manufacturing specifications freely available through an open-source release, allowing companies worldwide to manufacture and supply the Coventor in response to the ongoing pandemic.
According to a UMN news article, making the Coventor design freely available fulfills the original aim of the project.
Open-Source Release Allows Coventor to Be Produced Worldwide
https://research.umn.edu/inquiry/post/open-source-release-allows-coventor-be-produced-worldwide
Coventor Emergency Ventilator – Adult Manual Resuscitator Compressor
http://license.umn.edu/technologies/2020-295_coventor-emergency-ventilator-adult-manual-resuscitator-compressor
Appendix B: Authorized Ventilators, Ventilator Tubing Connectors, and Ventilator Accessories
https://www.fda.gov/media/136528/download
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Engineers Need to Know About Contact Tracing
Disease tracking has proven highly effective against past outbreaks before vaccines. Technology now doubles that effectiveness.
https://www.designnews.com/covid-19/what-engineers-need-know-about-contact-tracing/182379074163062?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13344&elq_cid=876648
The main task of the disease gumshoe is contact tracing, i.e., identifying all persons who may have come into contact with an infected person. By tracing the contacts of infected individuals, testing them for infection, treating the infected and tracing their contacts in turn, public tracers aim to significantly reduce infections in a population.
Contact tracing is nothing new. It has been a vitally important part of communicable disease control for decades. The eradication of smallpox, for example, was achieved not by universal immunization but by exhaustive contact tracing to find all infected persons. More recently, contact tracing has been credited with helping stop the SARS epidemic in 2004.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough COVID-19 trackers. According to a recent bipartisan estimate, over 180,000 contact tracers are needed around the country. Other estimates place the need between 100,000 to 300,000.
Technology Plays Major Monitoring Role
Several major universities have partnered with the government and industry to create contact tracing technologies. One such partnership is called PACT: Private Automated Contact Tracing. The mission of PACT is to develop technology that enhances the reach and effectiveness of existing contact tracing strategies through the use of personal digital communication devices while preserving privacy concerns.
As a part of PACT, MIT has developed a system for identifying people at risk of infecting COVID-19 by using the Bluetooth signals from cell phones. This technology utilizes an open, privacy-preserving protocol to notify individuals of potential contacts without revealing any private information to other individuals, the government, health care providers, or telecommunication carriers.
Electronic companies are also helping with tracing technology. For example, Apple and Google are working together to develop new contact tracing technology using smartphones and Bluetooth technologies. Last month, the tech giants jointly announced they are collaborating on an API and a platform that will work across both iOS and Android smartphones to help track COVID-19 exposures and warn people who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus behind the disease.
“Contact tracing can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and can be done without compromising user privacy,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a tweet announcing the new development. “We’re working with @sundarpichai [and] @Google to help health officials harness Bluetooth technology in a way that also respects transparency [and] consent.”
The new API will be followed by a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform. The API will facilitate interoperability between various public health apps on iOS and Android. The Bluetooth tracing platform will be opt-in and will provide a more robust solution that allows people to be notified if they’ve been potentially exposed to COVID-19.
Not all contact tracing tech relies on Bluetooth. For example, IoT specialist Kerlink has partnered with the data management company Microshare to create a system that traces contacts proximity in the workplace to help fight the spread of Covid-19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Continuing our open-source ventilator series, this week La Hora Maker’s Cesar Garcia explores the Arduino Mega-controlled Apollo Ventilator that’s currently under development in Spain.
Exploring open-source ventilators: Apollo Ventilator
https://blog.arduino.cc/2020/06/02/exploring-open-source-ventilators-apollo-ventilator/
https://github.com/makespacemadrid/ApolloVentilator
Tomi Engdahl says:
The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis support physical distancing of 1 m or more and provide quantitative estimates for models and contact tracing to inform policy. Optimum use of face masks, respirators, and eye protection in public and health-care settings should be informed by these findings and contextual factors. Robust randomised trials are needed to better inform the evidence for these interventions, but this systematic appraisal of currently best available evidence might inform interim guidance.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31142-9/fulltext
Tomi Engdahl says:
FIre Fly UVC Light Credit Card Terminal Sanitizer
https://hackaday.io/project/171880-fire-fly-uvc-light-credit-card-terminal-sanitizer
Automatic UV Sanitation Between Customers, That Touch The Highest Risk Surfaces For Viruses and Germs In Every Store,
Tomi Engdahl says:
TRIO UV Handheld Tri Mode Cordless Light
https://hackaday.io/project/171881-trio-uv-handheld-tri-mode-cordless-light
Novel triple mode wavelength light is germicidal, uv resin curing as well as a powerful cordless spotlight in one package.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fire Fly UVC Mini Sanitizer and Rapid Curing Lamp
https://hackaday.io/project/171879-fire-fly-uvc-mini-sanitizer-and-rapid-curing-lamp
Fire Fly Mini UV Handheld USB Powered Disinfection and Rapid UV curing lamp combines small form factor, cost efficiency and 3d printing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Surviving The Pandemic As A Hacker: Peering Behind The Mask
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/03/surviving-the-pandemic-as-a-hacker-peering-behind-the-mask/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to Disinfect and Sanitize Public Areas
https://www.grainger.com/know-how/health/workplace-wellness/kh-how-to-disinfect-and-sanitize-public-areas
Your facility may look clean, but if it hasn’t been disinfected, commonly touched surfaces throughout the workplace could be harboring germs. Reducing the risk of disease transmission on the job means taking a new approach to cleaning, with a greater emphasis on disinfection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How can a contact tracking system provide collective safety while ensuring individual privacy?
Contact Tracing: De-mystifying How an App Designed to Track People Can Ensure User Privacy and Security
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/healthcare/contact-tracing-ensure-user-privacy-security/
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 Giving Touchless Interfaces a Chance to Make an Impression
https://www.designnews.com/design-hardware-software/covid-19-giving-touchless-interfaces-chance-make-impression/96365846263036?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13355&elq_cid=876648
Touchscreens are everywhere at this point. But the COVID-19 pandemic could be the big break that touchless interface technologies have been waiting for.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Eight U.S. Manufacturers Selected to Make NASA COVID-19 Ventilator
https://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/component/content/article/mdb/stories/blog/36989?utm_source=TB_Medical_News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200604&oly_enc_id=2460E0071134A8V
After receiving more than 100 applications, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California has selected eight U.S. manufacturers to make a new ventilator tailored for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients. The prototype, which was created by JPL engineers in just 37 days, received an Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on April 30.
Called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), the high-pressure ventilator was designed to use one-seventh the parts of a traditional ventilator, relying on parts already available in supply chains. It offers a simpler, more affordable option for treating critical patients while freeing up traditional ventilators for those with the most severe COVID-19 symptoms. Its flexible design means it also can be modified for use in field hospitals.
Tomi Engdahl says:
With the onset of COVID-19 across the globe, one thing has become very clear. The ways in which we interact with not only people but also with other machines and devices will need to advance quickly to meet the needs for humanity. Product user interfaces will need to evolve to implement touchless interfaces. Touch interfaces and industrial designs will move toward simple and easy to clean setups to alleviate the hassle of cleaning buttons, keypads and complex inputs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fighting Corona: Multichoice automatic hand sanitizer
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=tJXqyEcYfQ8
Automatic santinizer with any liquid, gel, multi-size
Arduino code:
https://github.com/HeroLive/ArduinoHeroLive/tree/master/Auto-Santinizer
Guide on arduino projecthub:
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/HeroLive/fighting-corona-multichoice-automatic-hand-sanitizer-b3df30
Tomi Engdahl says:
NEW CONTEST!
Micron USA is challenging you to design a robot that uses UV light to combat COVID-19 and pathogens for a chance to win up to $10,000!
https://www.hackster.io/contests/micronuvrobot
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open source cardboard face mask
http://bumask.ru/eng
Foldable cardboard mask with replaceable filter and defense against excessive viral load. Reduces the risk of coronavirus respiratory invasion and spreading through through close contact. Can be easily made at home or printed in a neareby shop.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Automatic Alcohol Dispenser ($3 No Arduino Needed)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5yojb3vL-go
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fitbit gains FDA authorization for its low-cost emergency ventilator
https://tcrn.ch/2BrUdQ5
Fitbit has secured an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Fitbit Flow emergency ventilator. The ventilator hardware is low-cost, and doesn’t require very much training or expertise to use, making it a good solution for deployment in scenarios where healthcare systems are overwhelmed by resource strain stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fitbit ventilator is based on the MIT E-Vent system, as well as specs provided by the U.K. government for ventilators to be used by hospitals in that country during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. It’s an automated resuscitator-style ventilator, which essentially replicates the function of the types of manual resuscitation bags used by paramedics and EMTs in the field.
https://e-vent.mit.edu/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Singapore looks to ease privacy fears with ‘no internet’ wearable device
https://www.zdnet.com/article/singapore-looks-to-ease-privacy-fears-with-no-internet-wearable-device/
Slated to be ready for rollout later this month, wearable devices the country is developing for COVID-19 contact tracing will not have GPS, internet, or cellular connectivity, so data can only be extracted when the device is physically handed over to the Healthy Ministry.
The Singapore government says the wearable device it is developing for COVID-19 contact tracing will not have GPS, internet, or cellular connectivity, so data it collects can only be extracted when it is physically handed over to a health official. These details are being offered up as the government looks to ease concerns about data privacy and drive the adoption of digital tools that can help speed up contact tracing.
It had first mooted the deployment of a wearable device last month as a way to plug existing technical issues with its contact tracing app, TraceTogether, which was introduced in April. The app did not work well on Apple devices and was a significant drain on battery life — a feature that the government attributed to an iOS feature and one that could not be properly addressed even by tweaking the app’s design.
The government had looked to various digital tools, including SafeEntry, to improve contact tracing and lessen the need to depend on human memory to identify potential contacts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Keep Your Things Germ-Free with a UV-C Sanitizer
https://www.hackster.io/news/keep-your-things-germ-free-with-a-uv-c-sanitizer-dbeef3cd3ff8
This ATtiny85-powered chamber disinfects keys, phones, and wallets using ultraviolet light.
For obvious reasons, many people today have been focused on disinfecting surfaces, and especially things like mobile devices or keys that are prone to exposure. This is all well and good, but with disposable items such as hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in short supply, Botfactory applications engineer “Md” decided to instead make a UV-C (ultraviolet C) disinfection chamber that uses only light to kill germs.
The concept is actually pretty simple, in that a roughly phone-sized things is placed on a piece of glass inside a chamber with UV-C lights arranged on the top and bottom. This chamber is closed — like a miniature tanning bed — and the lights are fired up for five minutes under control of an ATtiny85 microcontroller and two transistors.
https://www.botfactory.co/blog/what-s-new-at-botfactory-1/post/designing-and-building-a-uv-sanitizer-120#blog_content
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Price for Privacy?
https://www.eetimes.eu/what-price-for-privacy/
In my simplistic mind, I haven’t yet fully comprehended why the world didn’t use all the technology tools at its disposal to contain the novel coronavirus early on.
“Covid-19 and the Success Story of Taiwan” that the island had effectively integrated its health insurance database with its immigration and customs database to identify cases and then act as needed to contain the virus. That’s so simple, it’s genius, I thought. Why not do it everywhere?
The CEO’s response was blunt: Doing the same thing in Europe or the U.S. would violate individual privacy, and we value our privacy dearly. Tracking people to the extent required for Taiwan’s program would simply not be tolerated here. But then, what price do we have to pay for our privacy — tens of thousands of deaths?
What if we think of it differently? In the U.K., we already have extensive surveillance on the streets of cities and towns, as I am sure many other European countries do. And many of these systems are gradually adding facial recognition, lots of local data processing, and artificial intelligence to identify a person’s intent, which the public considers an unacceptable personal intrusion. However, the same public doesn’t even realize that huge swaths of the population freely give away their data every day to companies like Facebook and Google. Where are the demands for privacy there? They’re few and far between, because we’ve accepted some loss of privacy as the tradeoff for getting something “for free.”
It doesn’t take much imagination to see how the data wealth of social media and internet companies and that of local and national governments might be combined and exploited to serve certain objectives, whether good or bad. Such activity might have affected the outcomes of certain elections and referenda in recent years.
In the case of Covid-19, however, I strongly believe if national governments had collaborated to carry out and share simple biometric monitoring and travel data, they could have prevented many deaths.
Those efforts underscore what readers of this publication already know: There is no shortage of sensors and technology to measure the vital data needed to contain and combat a pandemic. In times of crisis, as long as we have put the checks and balances in place to ensure that enforced tracking measures will be lifted after the danger has passed, wouldn’t it be OK to surrender a bit of our privacy?
Given a choice between life and privacy, I’d take life.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DoD Funds Clinical Trial of Seraph Blood Filter to Treat COVID-19
ExThera Medical developed the Seraph 100 Blood filter and received Emergency Use Authorization for the technology in April.
https://www.mddionline.com/covid-19/dod-funds-clinical-trial-seraph-blood-filter-treat-covid-19?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13442&elq_cid=876648
The Department of Defense is funding a clinical trial of a COVID-19 treatment using ExThera Medical’s Seraph 100 Blood filter. The device was selected to be in the multi-center randomized clinical trial because it showed encouraging preliminary results in critically ill COVID-19 patients at a military hospital in the U.S. and 14 other hospitals in Europe.
Initial reports indicate Seraph 100 stabilizes blood pressure and inflammatory biomarkers that correlate with poor patient outcome: IL-6, Ferritin, D-dimers, LDH, and Nt-proBNP, all decreased during Seraph 100 treatments of COVID-19 patients.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Face Mask Fogging Up Your Glasses? Here’s What You Can Do About It
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/face-mask-fogging-up-your-glasses-here-s-what-you-can-do-about-it/
The glasses wearers among us have most likely come across a new challenge in the past couple of months: when you strap on your cloth face mask, your glasses instantly fog up. But fear not, there are a few tricks and techniques you can do to avoid this mildly infuriating state.
One technique comes from two surgeons in the UK who wrote a paper in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2011 explaining how doctors keep their glasses from fogging up while performing surgery in the operating theater. Best of all, it just requires soap and water.
A simple method to prevent spectacle lenses misting up on wearing a face mask
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293317/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coding for COVID: Build Your Own Stethoscope for Under $10
https://community.arm.com/innovation/b/blog/posts/coding-for-covid-build-your-own-10-dollar-stethoscope
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – in conjunction with Hackster.io and supported by Arm – recently threw down the gauntlet to developers worldwide, challenging them to find globally sourced, locally implementable solutions to support developing countries experiencing an accelerated spread of COVID-19.
The Detect and Prevent Challenge aims to support under-resourced countries through the sharing and transfer of open-source technology in pursuit of three key aims: helping viral detection, flattening the COVID-19 transmission curve, and reducing the virus’s economic impact.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Government Was Wrong About Masks
Plus: “fictional pleas,” COVID-19 in migrant detention centers, and more…
https://reason.com/2020/06/11/the-government-was-wrong-about-masks/
Masks make a difference. Stay-at-home orders. Social distancing mandates. Obsessively washing hands and wiping down groceries and packages with disinfectants. Health experts and state and city political leaders recommended or required these measures long before they started advising Americans to wear a mask when they leave home. But mask-wearing may be the measure that makes the most difference.
Scientists recently looked at the spread of the new coronavirus aboard the Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and found that mask-wearing was the most important of a range of precautions taken by service members to prevent the transmission of COVID-19
Wearing a protective facial covering was more effective than increased hand-washing, slathering on the hand sanitizer, avoiding common areas, stepping up workspace cleaning, and trying to stay physically distant from others.
In addition, new research from scientists at Cambridge and Greenwich Universities suggests “population-wide use of facemasks could effectively control the coronavirus pandemic by substantially reducing the chances that an infected wearer will pass along his viruses to another person,” writes Reason’s Ron Bailey.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Timothy B. Lee / Ars Technica:
Internet Archive to close its National Emergency Library, which offers free, unrestricted access to ebooks, on June 16, after lawsuit from four major publishers — Online library asks publishers to “call off their costly assault.” — The Internet Archive has ended its National Emergency Library programs …
Internet Archive ends “emergency library” early to appease publishers
Online library asks publishers to “call off their costly assault.”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/06/internet-archive-ends-emergency-library-early-to-appease-publishers/
The Internet Archive has ended its National Emergency Library programs two weeks earlier than originally scheduled, the organization announced in a Wednesday blog post.
“We moved up our schedule because, last Monday, four commercial publishers chose to sue Internet Archive during a global pandemic,” the group wrote. The online library called on publishers to “call off their costly assault.”
But that doesn’t seem very likely. The Internet Archive isn’t ending its online book lending program altogether. Instead, the group is returning to a “controlled digital lending” (CDL) model that it had followed for almost a decade prior to March. Under that model, the group allows only one patron to digitally “check out” a book for each physical copy the library has in stock. If more people want to read a book than are physically available, patrons are added to a waiting list until someone checks the book back in.
In March, the Internet Archive temporarily dispensed with that limit, allowing an unlimited number of people to read the same book. The online library argued that this move was necessary—and legally justified—because the pandemic was denying the public access to millions of books that are locked in closed libraries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Rover Can Remotely Deliver Supplies to COVID-19 Patients While Minimizing Infection Risk
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-rover-can-remotely-deliver-supplies-to-covid-19-patients-while-minimizing-infection-risk-51171506919d
Pepsi, a carrier robot that is controlled with a Raspberry Pi and a web app over a cellular network.
https://www.hackster.io/343328/pepsi-a-web-driven-covid-19-carrier-robot-eab65a#toc-the-idea-0
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19′s effects on consumer behaviour and businesses – Market research results, part I
https://www.columbiaroad.com/blog/covid-19s-effects-on-consumer-behaviour-and-businesses-market-research-results?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=results-blog-part1&hsa_acc=10153848399300580&hsa_cam=6160855387454&hsa_grp=6193818268454&hsa_ad=6193818715854&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.genano.com/fi/uutiset/sairaalat-ympari-maailman-desinfioivat-ilmaa-sars-cov-2-sta?utm_campaign=Healthcare%20Campaign%20FI&utm_content=130833551&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-430897417721248&hsa_acc=214079284&hsa_cam=6176645418294&hsa_grp=6176645419294&hsa_ad=6176645420694&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3
Tomi Engdahl says:
this face mask has a hinged mouth so it can be worn while eating
https://www.designboom.com/design/face-mask-hinged-mouth-worn-while-eating-05-20-2020/?fbclid=IwAR2T1i5If_tSlSzyOHDKO9Mb6d26UzX2Ui2fikuF0cqefyh-EfKqcHMQBA8
in the wake of COVID-19, many are wondering how people will be able to visit restaurants safely in the future. israeli inventors at avtipus patents and inventions have designed a mask that could offer diners the chance to eat without removing it. powered by a remote control level, the user can open the ‘mouth’ of the mask via a slot in the front, allowing food to be passed through. the mask is intended to make visits to a restaurant less risky — ‘you can eat, enjoy, drink and you take out the fork and it will be closed, and you’re protected against the virus and other people sitting with you,’ explains asaf gitelis, vice president of avtipus patents and inventions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Masks Help Stop The Spread Of Coronavirus, Studies Say—But Wearing Them Still A Political Issue
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/06/13/masks-help-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-studies-say-but-wearing-them-still-a-political-issue/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
Tomi Engdahl says:
Which UVC Source is Best? 222 nm vs. 265 nm for Disinfection of Air, Surface, and Water
https://www.klaran.com/best-uvc-source-222-nm-vs-265-nm-water-surface-air-disinfection
Traditionally, efforts around disinfection methods were motivated by reducing infections resulting from pathogenic organisms. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been higher demand for documented and controlled disinfection methods to treat air and surfaces responsible for virus transmission. UVC light is proven to effectively inactivate most pathogens including drug-resistant bacteria and most strains of viruses. Conventional UV disinfection based on mercury (Hg) lamps have been used for such applications but safety concerns and regulations around banning the use of mercury have driven the development of alternative UV sources for disinfection.
UVC LEDs are seen as the natural replacement for mercury lamps for several reasons: they are mercury-free, offer advantageous operating features (e.g. instantaneous on/off, ability to cycle without impacting lifetime, extraction of heat in the opposite direction of UVC light, high performance reliability control), and low costs of maintenance. These benefits have enabled the integration of UVC LEDs into a variety of disinfection applications in water and high-touch surfaces, increasing the quality of products and features to the end-users and reducing costs to OEMs.
However, recent studies have investigated the use of krypton-chlorine (Kr-Cl) excimer lamps as an alternative method to disinfect. The shorter wavelengths of these lamps are thought to limit human health hazard due to the strong absorbance in biological material, meaning the light does not penetrate far enough into multi-cell organisms (such as humans) to create long-term damage. However, the shorter wavelengths also lead to a different disinfection process. Here we review both technologies and their usefulness in a variety of applications.
UV Wavelengths and Spectral Sensitivity of Disinfection
The UV spectral region ranges from 100 nm to 400 nm and is usually divided into three sub-regions based on absorption in the atmosphere and the biological action of radiation:
UVA: 315 nm to 400 nm
UVB: 280 nm to 315 nm
UVC: 200 nm to 280 nm
UVA and UVB are transmitted through the earth’s atmosphere and have limited germicidal effects. On the other hand, UVC is completely absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere and is highly disruptive for live organisms because it is strongly absorbed by proteins (principally 210 nm to 230 nm) and the nucleic acids of DNA and RNA (principally 250 nm to 280 nm). The latter wavelength range is commonly referred to as the “germicidal UVC range.”
While different, each pathogen shows a peak absorption near 265 nm and diminishes rapidly above 280 nm in the UVB range. For the most pathogens, there is a steep drop in sensitivity below 250 nm.
Within the germicidal UVC range, 260 nm to 270 nm is seen as an ideal wavelength, with only a small drop in efficacy in damage to the nucleic acid across that wavelength range (peak DNA/RNA absorption is observed between 263 nm to 265 nm) while, outside that range, the efficacy of longer or shorter wavelengths starts to fall drastically.
The primary process of disinfection in the germicidal range is by the generation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), the dominant form of UV-induced genomic damage. These dimers interrupt the replication of DNA/RNA and lead to bacterial cell death and viral inactivation.
Recently, scientists have studied the application of Krypton-Bromine and Krypton-Chlorine excimer lamps to generate primary photon emission peaks at 207 nm and 222 nm, respectively. UVC in the 207 nm to 222 nm range is commonly referred to as Far UVC. While photons emitted in this range are absorbed to some degree by the nucleic acids of DNA/RNA, the principal factor in reducing infectivity is thought to result from absorption and resultant damage to proteins. This has been demonstrated notably on adenovirus, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and influenza virus of type H1N1.
In water applications, the use of 222 nm does not seem likely since the UV transmissivity (UVT) in water becomes unacceptably large.
Employing a 205 nm to 230 nm photon source to treat pathogens is far more likely to depend on the protein aspect of a pathogen, which can have substantially different absorption coefficients, rather than the proven nucleic acid DNA/RNA approach utilizing the absorption peak in the 260 nm to 270 nm wavelength range which has been shown to consistently and predictably inactivate pathogens.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Properly Engineered UV Chamber For PPE Sanitization
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/16/a-properly-engineered-uv-chamber-for-ppe-sanitization/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/15/ppe-testing-hack-chat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Glasses for Social Distancing © GPL3+
https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/bilalahmed1654/smart-glasses-for-social-distancing-877f00
This device can be mounted on any frame of glasses and will help users to maintain a distance of more than 1 meter in the post corona world.