TEMPE, Ariz. — An Arizona State University program is using crowdsourcing to help manufacture more personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospitals and other health care workers.
Hospitals have been struggling to get enough PPE to keep up with the coronavirus outbreak. PPE includes things like face shields, face masks and surgical gowns.
While Arizona State University's campus is all but shut down, there are 3D printers in buildings across campus sitting idle. So a group of students at the ASU Luminosity Lab came up with a plan to use them to make PPE.
"And all of our students were filled with compassion," ASU Luminosity Lab director Mark Naufel said. "They were ready to go, they want to help and serve right off the bat and start their rapid production of PPE.
But they didn't stop with ASU's equipment; they opened the program up to anyone who might have a 3D printer, laser cutter, or even a sewing machine.
The PPE Response Network lets businesses and ordinary people sign up to make PPE as "producers." Health care companies can then submit requests for the amount of PPE they need. The producers then pledge to make a certain number of them. They're sterilized and sent directly to hospitals and clinics.
"We have individuals in their homes doing it and they're calling up hospitals," Naufel said.
ASU said health care groups like Banner and HonorHealth have already requested PPE through the program.
"That's exactly what a health care system like Banner Health needs right now," said. Christy Anderson, executive director of the Banner Innovation Group. "We need speed and we need a lot of great ideas."
The PPE Response Network just launched a few days ago. The producers are currently making their first batch of PPE products.
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