EEUM produces face shields and ventilators and performs diagnostic tests on the new coronavirus
The School of Engineering, through its research centers, departments, professors, students and other workers, is supporting and developing several initiatives to combat the new coronavirus. Several researchers from the Center of Biological Engineering (CEB) of the EEUM are collaborating with the School of Medicine of UMinho in carrying out tests on the COVID-19. In addition, the DONE Lab – Advanced Manufacturing of Products and Tools together with Bosch Car Multimedia and with the Department of Textile Engineering (DET) of EEUM, they produced face shields already distributed to the Pedome Social Center, the ACeS do Ave – Famalicão, the Centro Hospitalar do Médio Ave, in Santo Tirso, and the Hospital of Braga. In this initiative, the members of the team counted on the contribution of the companies Labina, EntreFitas and Pakril and the Grupo Recreativo de Gavião to gather the necessary materials.
“Also in collaboration with Professor António Cunha, President of DTx, we are producing adapters for Decathlon Easybreath Masks to serve as protection for the healthcare professionals and to ventilate patients, which will be distributed at Hospital of Braga” reveals António Pontes, CEO of DONE Lab and Professor at the School of Engineering. DTx – Digital Transformation CoLab is simultaneously collaborating with Ceiia in the development of professional ventilators.
A team from the Department of Textile Engineering (DET) and from the Department of Polymer Engineering (DEP) of the EEUM, in collaboration with the School of Architecture of UMinho, started a cooperation with the company Ernesto São Simão, which is producing a structure model for the visors in order to complete about a thousand for donation. The companies Klöckner Pentaplast and Kyaia are also contributing to this initiative that possibly will be extended over time, which will result in the donation of more visors.
Also a team of professors, researchers and students from the Department of Industrial Electronics (DEI) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM), in collaboration with the School of Medicine, is developing prototypes of modular and low cost ventilators with trachea and artificial lung, that are in the testing phase. This initiative has been sensitizing different entities in the health area, which quickly made medical equipment available for the development of a preliminary experimental prototype. The Department of Mechanical Engineering, in a group of professors and alumni, has been contributing to the manufacture of visors through 3D printing, having already been distributed to around 100 health professionals in hospitals in the North of Portugal, such as the Centro Hospitalar de Padre Américo, in Penafiel, and Centro Hospitalar de São João, in Porto.
The Presidency of the School of Engineering also created the slack platform “EEUM COVID19” in order to facilitate the exchange of information and mutual help between all elements of these departments, centers, interfaces and collaborative laboratories that actively work in these initiatives to create devices for help healthcare professionals and patients.
