While everyone is playing their role in order to stop the crisis of COVID-19 wildfire, a group of entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, researchers, and faculties from across the globe- India, Australia, UK, France, and the USA, collectively known by the name of “Scientist beyond borders” is also trying their best in challenging coronavirus. The group has been working on “Opening up science and democratizing technology”- collecting, analyzing, disseminating data, and awareness, based on this pandemic globally. Collaborating industry partners are opening up their technology know how and patents for public good. Also, other main work on innovating new ideas of designing equipment and PPEs mainly for this virus has been done and they are trying to giveaway these ideas and approaches for free along with the required guidance so that public across borders can utilize them.
Relevant information, news/ research articles, and scientific data from authorised sources are translated and represented in graphical illustration with the help of experts and in simpler sentences for the common people to understand and circulated through different social networks- Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The circulated information is also translated into different languages of India.
Scientists beyond borders group has designed and made different equipments- protective gear, 3D printed masks, Isolation capsule specially designed for the front-liners and coronavirus affected patients, sanitizers, UV based disinfecting products, and sample collection and testing facility services. A coverall suit protective clothing for the front-liners has been designed, using medical grade fabric covering from head to toe along with necessary sealing.
Biosafetly level 4 head-cover PPE has been designed to protect the user from contamination, pollution, and infection present in the environment. The head-cover is being made of polyester fabric with PVC coating supported by a ventilation system isolating the inner and outer environment. It has a special air blowing unit with the filters. There by protecting frontline healthcare workers with any possible contamination through air or touch.
A low-cost UV-C tube light based disinfecting smart portable appliance is also developed to disinfect and dispose of medical used devices, rooms, floors, and others. A mop is developed to disinfect floor-using UV light and hot steam and a portable hand-held UV sanitizer device for unreachable places and for work areas, laptops, mobiles, etc. For the disposal disinfection of harmful bacteria or viruses, a UV-C tube light-based disinfecting dustbin is uniquely designed to disinfect the Room, Floor and more so used for disinfecting used masks, gloves etc. to be used at hospitals and public spaces.
As the government in major affected areas and countries are under lock-down, people who need to be tested for this virus face a major problem in transportation. Therefore, our group designed a mobile sanitized sample collection and testing facility vehicle with improved and optimized facilities dividing the vehicle into two different sanitized area, for patient and doctors with negative pressure and filtered air being exhaust out limiting the exposure of the doctors and preventing public at large from coming in contact with suspected patients by on site sample collection. The implementation of this vehicle will restrict the movements of infected suspects and can collect the samples from their doorsteps or community centres, thus reducing the chances of spreading the COVID-19 virus.
As the pandemic is contagious and the affected patient needs to be transported in isolation, for this purpose an isolation capsule is designed for transporting the infected patients has been designed meticulously. This isolation capsule is designed to provide medical staff and first responders a safe means to isolate contaminated patients and transport them from one location to another. It uses reinforced flexible vinyl material with antifungal and antibacterial properties for the encapsulation, gloves and pipe inlet are provided to use in need and the capsule uses clamps thus the whole set-up can be mounted on a trolley, ambulances, rescue helicopters and inside moving vehicles.
Therefore, with all these set-ups, designed equipment, Scientist Beyond Borders group is endeavouring their best by taking advantage of their knowledge, experience and efforts in giving a platform and empowering public at large with updated information and open to use technologies.