AIRLOCK VS COVID-19

Solution Name:

AIRLOCK VS COVID-19

One-line solution summary:

A low cost, simple airlock mechanism that have two partition to go in and out of the treatment center installed in every door.

Pitch your solution.

This project is about solving the current Coronavirus crisis of the world by breaking the means of transmission of the Coronavirus. 

A low cost, simple airlock mechanism that have two partition to go in and out of the treatment center installed in every door to prevent direct air flow from inside to outside of the temporary treatment center.

What specific problem are you solving?

The main route of transmission of Coronavirus from one person to another is through droplets which are sneezed or coughed out by infected people. A single cough can produce up to 3,000 droplets, while a sneeze can produce as many as 10,000. These droplets then land in or are breathed into another person's airways or fall on a surface that is touched by uninfected person, who then touches their face. According to some emerging evidence published in the journal by scientists at Princeton University, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the US research agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - though not in significant quantities, the Coronavirus can be airborne.  Meaning, it may also remain airborne in much tinier droplets in form of “aerosol" (virus remains suspended in the air in very tiny water droplets, smaller than the ones coughed or sneezed long after larger droplets have fallen to surfaces or been breathed in). While it is in the air in droplets, an uninterrupted droplet from a sneeze can travel around 60 meters. So it is very critical to prevent this possible senior by developing simple mechanisms besides wearing protective masks in hot zone places.   

What is your solution?

To establish protection mechanism in Coronavirus hot zone places besides wearing protective gear, we need to know which are potential hot zones for the spread of Coronavirus. There is no data that give percentile hot zone for the Coronavirus to exist in air in cities but according to my research and recommendations from my partners, the first hot zones for the Coronavirus is temporary shelters or places that are being used to treat confirmed patients. These places can be from basketball court to concert halls or other places where it’s indoor and have large space. These places are currently being used for treatment in many part of the world and it is my estimation that there is 80% chance the air is filled with the Coronavirus. After seeing images of the medical staffs going in and out of the treatment center in some African countries, air is freely going in and out of the treatment hall. This project is about installing a low cost, simple airlock mechanism that have two partition to go in and out of the treatment center installed in every door to prevent direct air flow from inside to outside of the temporary treatment center.  

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

This project is about installing a low cost, simple airlock mechanism that have two partition to go in and out of the treatment center installed in every door to prevent direct air flow from inside to outside of the temporary treatment center. Meaning, the airlock is made of transparent, hard plastic that have the same size of the entrance or exit door in width and height. The airlock have two partitions and the two partitions have a zipping like door and when a medical staff is about to go in, he/ she first unzip the first door of the airlock and enters in the first compartment. Then he/ she will zip it back to close the first door. After the first compartment of the airlock is closed he/ she will spray the surface of the first compartment with disinfectant killing potential Coronavirus that might enter in the first compartment. After spraying, the medical staff will unzip the second door of the air lock and enter in to the treatment center. This will save huge risk for prevention of spread of the virus in air for temporary treatment center because they are not built to prevent such scenarios. 

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge.

This project aligns with the challenge because it focuses on the Coronavirus crisis of the world. I designed it after my partners sent me information of potential risk for me to solve.  

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Anteneh Gashaw

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?