Open Hardware Projects to Fight COVID-19

Hi everyone. I hope you're doing well. As I know there's lots of engineers and designers watching this, I wanted to showcase some of the open hardware projects I've come across in the past few weeks in response to the pandemic. Maybe some of them will be useful for where you are in the world. Before we start, just a disclaimer too: There's a mixture of projects here, some that are currently being used by medical professionals right now, and others that are more experimental. To be clear, many of those on tested ones are last-ditch emergency fallbacks in case there's nothing else to use, so keep that in mind. If you're gonna use any of these designs, obviously, listen to the medical pros who will actually be using the equipment as they will know best what they need. All the links mentioned are both on the N-O-D-E site and listed in the YouTube video description, too. If you know of others that aren't covered here, post a comment and I'll update the list. One of the pieces of personal protective equipment on short supply right now, is the face shield. When used with masks and other gear, they help drastically reduce airborne droplets getting into medical workers faces. Thankfully, these are fairly simple to make, and if you have a 3d printer, you could also help the effort in your local area. There are a few projects out there with slightly different designs. Let's have a look. 3d printing legends Prusa have designed their own version, which is available to download now. The latest RC3 iteration allows you to print out four bands at once and has received some preliminary verification from the Czech Ministry of Health, where Prusa is based. Budmen Industries has also released a face shield design ready for 3d printing. They have a system on their site that also matches up medical workers with those willing to print out shields So check that out if you're interested. Another, is the Glia COVID-19 Face Shield and this project is run by practicing doctors and medical students in Canada. CAD and STL files are on their GitHub page. Finally, there is the Faceshield.nu project by Erik Cederberg. This one is slightly different from the others and is designed to work with standard size hole punches and A4 transparent sheeting. YouTuber MKme made an in-depth video showing you how to put one together, so check that out if you're interested. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have developed a 3d printable mask with modular HEPA filter cartridges and have released the files and instructions on their website. Designers at Isinnova working with doctors in Italy have repurposed the decathlon snorkelling mask by adding a custom 3d printed valve to the top. This modification turns it into a perfect emergency ventilator mask which doctors in the country have been desperately in need of The files are available on their site, and I'm sure this technique could be adapted to different snorkelling mask manufacturers around the world. Staff at St. Luke's Hospital and Cedar Rapids have developed a simple fabric mask pattern as well as instructions on how to create them using a sewing machine. They stress that these masks won't replace professionally made ones, But they will be better than nothing if the pandemic worsens and there're no other masks available. The hospital has provided the postal address for those who want to contribute completing masks. As this particular virus attacks people's lungs and breathing, the need for ventilators is off the charts at the moment. A couple of projects have popped up recently to try and fill the supply gap. The first is the OxVent. This project, led by engineers and medics at Oxford University and King's College, London, Aims to develop a rapidly deployable ventilator using readily available off-the-shelf parts. Those with relevant skills and access to manufacturing and prototyping tools like 3d printers can get in touch to collaborate with the team. Researchers at MIT have taken up the challenge too, creating the E-Vent system. This ventilator uses an automatic bag-valve mask design, and again: information and plans are on the MIT site. Obviously the ventilator is a complex piece of equipment and is critical for keeping people alive, So it needs to work flawlessly. If you're interested in learning more, Check out this in-depth overview by Hackaday. The UK government has released a specification for ventilators that can be used in UK hospitals. It goes into great detail about the precise features needed to give adequate care, and will probably be a good watermark for anyone embarking on this type of project. The folks at civil pedia have created a how-to guide for creating a Positive Pressure PPE Suit. Don't know how useful this will be but it might be good to know. There are also a bunch of different 3d printable door accessories on Thingiverse, allowing you to open them with your foot instead of touching them with your hands. A lot of new initiatives have popped up aiming to organize the efforts of the design and engineering communities for this challenge. Check them out if you're interested, but remember to do your research since most of them are brand new. Operation Shields Up! is a project which is creating and donating 3d printed face shields to health professionals. You could donate cash or help print out the face shields and send them in. Opensource.com have set up a Discord server for technical folks who wanted to discuss potential ideas related to COVID19. Hack The Pandemic is another group of engineers and tinkerers banding together to work on ideas. Immediate needs include 3d printing, laser cutting and sewing. Make4Covid is a similar group of over 400 volunteers aiming to create gear that's running low. This one looks to be centered around Colorado in the US. And finally, 3d hopes recently set up a fund specifically to help projects all around the world like the ones in this video. You can donate directly to the fund in order to help other 3d printing projects scale up manufacturing of parts for much needed equipment. Alright, that's all I could find. Hopefully there's something in there that's useful to you. Anyways, much love, and be safe.