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The results were far more positive than experts anticipated

“If the public-health professionals, if Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, if doctors tell us we should take it, I would be first in line. If Donald Trump tells us we should take it, then I’m not taking it.” That was Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ response when asked by the moderator of an Oct. 7 debate whether she…

It wasn’t immediately clear when Meadows learned that he had contracted the virus or whether he had developed symptoms of COVID-19

Germaphobes, rejoice.

A Swiss start-up has created a solution to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in communal buildings or businesses — self-disinfecting door handles. This innovation, set to launch in 2021, could become a key tool to help curb the pandemic, as researchers have shown that the virus could remain on door handles for up to three days.

Since the onset of the pandemic, some people have started using their keys or elbows to press elevator buttons, or their bus pass to open door trains to limit touching potentially infected surfaces. However, traditional door handles are trickier to open with your elbow.

[caption id="attachment_211888" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Self-disinfecting door handles will soon be a reality in the form of Tweaq Touch 1. (Image: Tweaq)[/caption]

Tweaq, a Swiss team of researchers specialised in contact-less technology, designed this new system, which can be adapted to most types of door handles. The system integrates a pump that brings disinfectant from the casing to a sponge inside the ring around the door handle. The system is activated when someone opens or closes the door, automatically driving the aluminium ring backwards and forwards along the surface.

Tweaq states that 99.9 percent of the germs are removed in the disinfection process, and that the system activates in less than three minutes after someone touched the door handle.

The ring, powered by lithium-ion batteries, can disinfect the handle around 1,000 times before running out of liquid. The smart system lets users know via a smartphone application when to change the disinfectant cartridge. Tweaq also chose to look to the circular economy so that the cartridges don't end up in the trash. When the cartridge runs out, the empty one can be sent back in exchange for a full one. The system also provides data about the handle, how many times it was touched and when handle use peaked during the day.

(Main and featured image: Tweaq)

The post Self-Disinfecting Door Handles are Finally Becoming a Reality appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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Doing their part for the cause

From monitoring vital signs to filtering filthy air and even translating speech into other languages, the coronavirus-fuelled boom in face masks has spawned an unusual range of high-tech options.

As masks become the norm worldwide, tech companies and researchers are rolling out weird and wonderful models to both guard against infection and cash in on a growing trend.

One of the wackiest comes from Japan, where start-up Donut Robotics has created a face covering that helps users adhere to social distancing and also acts as a translator.

The "C-Face" mask works by transmitting a wearer's speech to a smartphone via an app, and allows people to have a conversation while keeping up to 10 metres apart. "Despite the coronavirus, we sometimes need to meet directly with each other," Donut Robotics chief executive Taisuke Ono told AFP.

The lightweight silicone device could have immediate benefits for people such as doctors who want to communicate with patients from a distance, the company says.

[caption id="attachment_211645" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Donut Robotics chief executive Taisuke Ono posing for a photo with the smart mask "C-face" in his studio. (Image: Philip Fong/ AFP)[/caption]

It can translate speech from Japanese into English, Korean and other languages — a function that will become more useful once travel restrictions are eventually eased. But it does not offer protection from Covid-19 on its own, and is designed to be worn over a regular face covering when it goes on sale in February for about 4,000 yen (HK$297).

Donut Robotics raised nearly 100 million yen (HK$7.4 million) via crowdfunding to develop it, a success Ono believes was driven by a desire for innovations to make life easier during the pandemic. "We may be able to fight the virus with technology, with human wisdom," Ono said.

Another face mask developed in Singapore is aimed at protecting medics treating Covid-19 patients. It has sensors that monitor body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels, and relay data to a smartphone via a Bluetooth transmitter.

"Many of these frontline workers will be exposed to patients when they are taking their vital signs," Loh Xian Jun, one of the scientists behind the invention, told AFP. "This poses a health risk to the nurses, and we wanted to think about a way to reduce such risk."

Its inventors say the device could also monitor vital signs of migrant workers in crowded dormitories, which incubated massive virus outbreaks in the city-state this year. They hope to trial it in the near future and market it commercially.

[caption id="attachment_211646" align="alignnone" width="1024"] More face masks such as LG's PuriCare mask are going high-tech with built-in air purifiers. (Image: LG)[/caption]

For those seeking to combat the effects of pollution in smog-choked cities, South Korea's LG Electronics has developed PuriCare, an air purifier mask. The futuristic white device, which fits snugly around the wearer's mouth, nose and chin, is equipped with two filters on either side and fans to aid airflow.

The filters are similar to those in the company's home air purifiers, and can block 99.95 percent of harmful particles.

Thousands have already been made available to medical staff and it will also be rolled out in shops in the future, the company says.

The post Face Masks Go High-Tech With Speech Translation and Air Purifiers appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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