COVID-19 Response

By Andra KeayCalifornia Robotics News, COVID-19 Response

Please search our lists below:

  • STUFF NEEDED BY GOVT/HEALTH (by country)
  • STUFF THAT CAN BE DONE BY COMMUNITY
  • WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION AND HELP

Stuff needed by US Govt in next 2 weeks

  • Cotton swabs with long wooden sticks 
  • Endotracheal tubes (assorted sizes)
  • Falcon tubes
  • Gloves (all sizes)
  • Lightweight protective suits
  • N95 masks
  • Over-the-shoe booties
  • PAPRs
  • Rapid PCR test kits
  • Ventilators, specifically Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) ventilators
  • Vital sign monitors
  • Viral transport media

If you can manufacture any of these things in bulk please fill out this form ASAP or contact the National Association of Manufacturers.

Stuff needed immediately in California

  • CRITICAL! Ventilators, components for ventilators
  • Nitrile gloves
  • Respirators (passive and active)
  • Isolation gowns
  • Face shields
  • N95 masks

I am liaising with the local Bay Area Manufacturing forum, the California Manufacturing Technology’s weekly updates. The Port of Los Angeles is acting as purchaser for Southern California and I have direct contact with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Supplies.

Plus we’re working with Circuit Launch, Open Source COVID-19 Medical Supplies and Helpful Engineering groups to connect makers/manufacturers to supplies and to deliver items to hospitals and first responders.

Stuff that can be done by community right now

Download Folding@Home so your home computer can help make a dent in the calculations needed to simulate the coronavirus. The current Folding@Home computer network is currently the world’s largest supercomputer!

If you have sealed N95 masks you can drop them at any hospital now. If you order anything from Seeed Studio you can request a box of masks to be added. Some hospitals will accept open masks, most are also looking for surgical masks, faceshields, gloves, #PPE and hand sanitizer.

Mask-Match.com is a good way to ship masks straight to places in need. PPELink is connecting donated PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to places that need them. Project Community Pleated Masks was founded by healthcare professionals and has tips/patterns for basic mask making.

For cloth masks, Rachel Sadd from Ace Monster Toys is fundraising to produce fabric masks suitable for nursing homes, clinics, paramedics etc freeing up N95 for critical care. I’m still sourcing other verified useful projects.

Where to find helpful information and help

On the help front, limited COVID-19 testing offered to San Mateo and Santa Clara County through Verily’s Project Baseline

Fremont has just launched free drive through testing at Fremont Fire Tactical Training Center, 7200 Stevenson Blvd – only for first responders or those who are symptomatic for coronavirus.

Hopefully more links to share here soon!

On the helpful information front:

And here’s a Vice article describing these community efforts. If you have a robot or manufacturing capacity that can be helpful. Let us know!

Finally, we’re hosting a weekly online discussion with robot builders and health experts to talk about “COVID-19, robots and us” on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. Free and open to the public.