Gadgets That Were Designed To Fight COVID-19

From hands-free door openers that can be 3D-printed, to basic ventilators, the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of urgent innovation.

It’s reminiscent of the inventions of the Second World War – when the first digital computer and rocket technology came to the fore.

COVID-19 may be having a devastating impact on our industries, social lives and personal grooming standards, but it is also prompting an outpouring of creativity in other arenas.

From Spiderman-esque wrist-mounted disinfectant sprays, to a wristband that buzzes whenever you’re about to touch your face, a wealth of new prototypes are demonstrating what human ingenuity is capable of in the face of adversity.

Here are just some of the newest coronavirus inventions.

Hands-free door openers

Several varieties of hygiene-friendly door-hook are in the pipeline – intended to help us navigate that tricky moment when we need to open doors with sanitized hands.

Epidemiologists estimate the coronavirus can live on surfaces like stainless steel for three days, so these devices could be a game-changer in environments such as hospital wards, where hand sanitation is a matter of life and death.

Some door-opening devices have already found their way to market – including the “hygienehook”, created by London-based designer Steve Brooks. Small enough to fit in a pocket and made from easy-to-clean non-porous material, the gadget is already available in four different varieties. Brooks has had requests from NHS Wales and is, meanwhile, donating a hook for every one he sells.And not every design needs to go to market.

Welshman Wyn Griffiths devised a hands-free door opener – which clips onto door handles and can be operated using the forearm – after his wife visited a hospital and saw the difficulties staff were facing. Griffiths has since distributed the 3D design online for free and is asking people to print and distribute the handles wherever possible.

Masks and Ventilators

Other recent patents that could genuinely save lives include a snood mask with an antiviral coating – from Virustatic Shield, which plans to scale up production to a million a week and reserve part of their stock for the UK’s National Health Service.

Meanwhile, Dr Rhys Thomas of Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen in Wales went straight to the heart of global health concerns when he devised a “simple and robust” basic ventilator designed to help patients breathe – and which also kills COVID-19.

“Although it won’t replace an ICU ventilator, the majority of patients won’t need intensive care if they are treated with this ventilator first,” he said.

“The machine will clean the room of viral particles and only supply purified air to the patient. The patient can self-care, releasing specialist nurses for other duties.