Creative designs making a difference in fight against COVID-19

In response to the shortage of ventilators in New York, Philip Sweeting, a mechanical engineer, took to Instagram about a week ago to share his ventilator splitter design for 3D printers, which can enable multiple patients to share a single machine. It is one of the many emergency options being considered by Albany Medical College in New York State, Sweeting noted in the post.

Chinese-American actress and TV host Angel Pai reached out to Sweeting on Instagram and launched into action with her team, sending the splitters to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City for testing. In her latest post about the splitters, she noted that they will be used with discretion in case of emergencies.

The design ignited discussion after it was shared on Chinese social media. While some have debated safety issues, noting it may cause cross-infection, many praised people's efforts to do their bit in helping others during this time of crisis. 

In addition to the ventilator splitter, there are many other designs being used to make a difference in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Take Beijing's Xiaotangshan Hospital for instance. Built in 2003 to quarantine and treat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients and later shut down once the threat of SARS passed, the hospital was recently renovated and reopened to join the battle against COVID-19. Starting from March 16, the mothballed facility was put into operation for the screening and treatment of imported mild and common confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases.

While the hospital was originally painted with dull, cold tones of white and gray 17 years ago, the facility has been transformed through the use of vibrant colors. This colorful change isn't limited to the outside walls. Inside the hospital, colorful decorations and paintings can be seen as well. Such designs are meant to ease people's minds, said Hu Lu, deputy president of the hospital, in an interview with chinanews.com. Meanwhile, designs such as sterilization windows used to pass on items and video communication systems have been incorporated to avoid contact and cross-infection between people.

Meanwhile, Cao Junjie, a mechanical designer and cosplayer in Shanghai, also spent a month turning a cat carrier into a pod for his two-month-old child, who's too young to wear a face mask to protect against the virus. In addition to an air purification system, Cao also paid much attention to other details such as a glove connected to the pod that he can use to reach in and comfort the baby. 

When his story was shared on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, netizens were amazed by his creativity and touched by the thought and effort the father put into protecting the child.

"This is very inspiring. No matter how hard the situation is, people always manage to come up with ideas to address it," one netizen wrote in a post. 

Global Times