Technology takes the art of origami into the fight against COVID-19

Researchers successful Simon Fraser University's Additive Manufacturing Lab are replicating a distinctive artform—the subtle folding of origami—to make 3D printable technologies to assistance successful the combat against COVID-19, and assistance doctors to place and diagnose assorted wellness conditions.

Highlighting the work, led by SFU School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering's subordinate prof Woo Soo Kim, is simply a low-cost, portable 3D-printed ventilator, driven by a patented, intelligent 3D-printed origami tube. An in-depth overview of the plan and improvement of the innovation, precocious evaluated by a section squad of respiratory therapists, has been published successful the diary Flexible and Printed Electronics.

The portable mechanical ventilator is designed to assistance a person's breathing by reliably contracting a 3D-printed origami tube, alternatively than compressing a accepted bag-valve disguise (BVM), which reduces the wide size of the assisted breathing instrumentality with mechanical spot gain. The 3D-printed plan and lightweight materials besides lowers production costs.

"In our portable origami ventilator, much than 95 percent of components tin beryllium 3D printable, that's wherefore it is truly cost-efficient," helium says. "Other portable ventilators tin outgo implicit $2,000, but our 3D-printed ventilator tin beryllium produced for astir $200."

Kim says that the tiny and lightweight design, combined with debased accumulation costs, makes their portable ventilator utile for treating COVID-19 patients oregon patients who request a compact and transportable instrumentality extracurricular of infirmary settings, specified arsenic semipermanent attraction homes oregon successful distant agrarian areas and processing countries.

The squad has partnered with Vancouver-based ventilator shaper Pantheon Design and Delta-based 3D-printing institution Tinkerine, with enactment from the Alliance programme of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The squad is besides seeking further concern and improvement partners with a extremity of wide production.

Developing 3D origami-based adust electrodes for sensing robots to assistance healthcare professionals

Kim is besides processing and patenting 3D origami adust electrodes that tin beryllium utilized to show diligent health. This exertion is nether the aforesaid intelligence spot strategy of 3D printed origami technologies. The adust electrodes tin observe and show physiological signals, specified arsenic heartbeat, breathing, somesthesia and musculus movements, each with the elemental interaction of the 3D origami adust electrodes.

In the future, Kim envisions that this technology could beryllium utilized to assistance doctors and nurses by allowing them to measure patients' wellness remotely done a robot helper.

The humanoid robot would besides beryllium capable to show oxygen levels—useful successful cases wherever a diligent has developed terrible COVID-19. The information tin beryllium viewed successful real-time connected the robot's show oregon sent straight to the healthcare provider.

"The adust electrode doesn't request to beryllium equipped with the sensing robot—it tin beryllium utilized successful a infirmary mounting to regenerate the bedewed gel benignant electrode for electrophysiology specified arsenic electrocardiogram oregon humor unit measurement applications," Kim says. "Dry electrodes are conscionable 1 of the technologies nether this portfolio of 3D origami technologies we are processing present astatine SFU."

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More information: Tae-Ho Kim et al, 3D architectured aerial sensing tubes for a portable mechanical ventilator, Flexible and Printed Electronics (2021). DOI: 10.1088/2058-8585/ac1fd6