The havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic globally has lead innovators to look for new ways to contribute to the overall response against the crisis. DIY ventilators, face masks, and face shields are created for the healthcare workforce by various universities. Some creative innovators are altering their existing products so that they can be used to deal with the challenges presented by the coronavirus. If such products are used properly they might help to avert future pandemics and transform healthcare.
More Than A Clever Hand-Washing Manual
A social innovation engineer in India, Kanav Kahol developed a smart mirror that can detect the presence of an individual the moment they wave at it, and then a 35-second animated video shows them the multi-step hand-washing process suggested by the WHO.
The Pandemic Drone
COVID-19 hotspots can be detected or predicted by the local authorities with the help of a drone-based system developed by a professor of sensor systems at the University of South Australia, Javaan Chahl in partnership with Canada-based drone tech firm Draganfly.
Disinfection Warriors
The texas-based firm, Xenex, offers disinfection robots to the hospitals. The firm is increasing its manufacturing capacity to enable more services in the United States to eradicate the virus.
Many new inventions have been inspired by the pandemic. Doctors, scientists, and designers continue to work on concepts to avoid the spread of the virus. A new ventilator, a virus-killing snood, and a hands-free door pull are among some of the innovations that have been invented in Wales to deal with coronavirus. A Covid-19 patient has already been treated successfully due to the ventilator. Production of the snood-type mask is in progress and a 3D design of the handle has been circulated far and wide.
The COVID Emergency Ventilator
It was designed in just three days this easy-to-build device is believed to have the ability to significantly reduce the strain on NHS staff. It is not a replacement for an ICU ventilator but if the patients are treated with this ventilator first then most of them won’t need intensive care.
The ‘Virus-Killing’ Snood
The mask is supposed to kill over 95% of any viruses including Covid-19 according to the claim of the designers. The target of the company is to make a million masks per week and plans to keep a part of that stock for the NHS.
The Hands-Free Door Handle
The wife of Wyn Griffiths visited a local hospital recently and had to touch door handles after sanitizing her hands and this is what inspired him to come up with the hands-free door handle. Anyone having a 3D printer can make the door pull. The 3D design is available online and free to download.
The Innovation Centre
Both handle and snood were designed at the Menai Science Park in Gaerwen on Anglesey, a center for small start-up companies and scientific research. In such gloomy times, it is pleasant when even small companies come up with innovative solutions.
The internet has become our economic, educational, and social window to the world. Six innovators who are a part of a foundation known as the Marconi Society motivate and link those who are developing new technology for a digital world. Many tech pioneers provide us ideas of the technologies that are needed to deal with the dangers posed by our post-pandemic future.
- Vinton Cerf, considered as the Father of the Internet suggests that transforming our thinking will result in a lasting transformation in our behavior regarding the usage of energy, global cooperation for big issues, and thoughtful preparation for the next pandemic.
- A secure internet has been enabled by the work of Whitfield Diffie – a Stanford University inventor. He argues that COVID-19 is a precursor of biological warfare and that the governments will realize that.
- Martin Hellman worked together with Diffie to safeguard the privacy of the internet. He wants to see COVID-19 positively changing the world.
- Bradford Parkinson designed and developed the Global Position System. He argues that you can’t manage what you can’t measure and that the status quo of COVID-19 suffers from the absence of reliable measurements.
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