EPFL students make 3D-printed shields to protect against Covid-19
EPFL students (Instagram) and pharmacy clerks wearing their 3D-printed face shields. © EPFL/MxD
Using a 3D printing kit, ten ENAC students are working from home to make face shields for healthcare workers. The students are being assisted by a local volunteer group called Solitaires Mais Solidaires, which is still looking for volunteers.
The Media x Design (MxD) lab at ENAC sent 3D printing kits to ten architecture students so that they can keep on working while the EPFL campus is closed. Driven by a desire to help out in these difficult times, the students 3D-printed washable, reusable face shields, once their work was completed, for the people most exposed to Covid-19 – especially hospital staff, EMS workers, pharmacy clerks and delivery people. The students have already made an initial batch of 150 shields, some of which were distributed to the Red Cross, dentists, health workers and to local pharmacies (see photo) – but many more are needed. Demand will grow sharply as the lockdown is steadily lifted.
“In addition to showing our support for healthcare workers by cheering them on each night at 9pm, we can also try to help out in other ways while we are confined at home,” says Jeffrey Huang, a full professor at ENAC and head of MxD. This initiative is consistent with his lab's goal of promoting design activism. It also shows that, thanks to 3D printing, a small network of design activists can deliver rapid responses to the pandemic and help fight the spread of Covid-19 in their region.
The 3D-printed face shield was originally designed in Sweden. The students adapted the design for Switzerland and began distributing it in association with Solitaires Mais Solidaires – a grassroots movement of high-school and college students, which is still looking for volunteers. Pictures of the MxD team can be found on the lab's Instagram account at epfl_mxd.