This new innovation of COVID-19 mask for doctors will surprise you! -By Katha Roy from GNIT Kolkata

The doings of the novel Coronavirus are infamous the world over. The hospitals are overflowing with patients, and the newborns, who are unaware of the dangerous state of the world are becoming a part of this world. In this time of crisis, people are looking towards doctors. But what if the doctor itself gets infected? In this article, the idea of innovating a COVID-19 face mask that can help the doctors in the least possible way has been discussed.

COVID-19 is one of the most havoc-creating diseases of the era, millions of people all over the world are suffering and dying due to it. The rate of recovered patients is also not much impressive. In America, the death toll has crossed 1300 in a single day. On the other hand, countries like Spain, Italy are suffering even at a much higher rate.

Many medicinal experiments are being carried to invent a vaccine for this ill-fated disease. However, after thorough research, Hydroxychloroquine has been found quite promising in treating COVID symptoms. Well, besides medicines, people of all the nations have been asked by their government and doctors to use hand sanitizers and face masks as a mode of prevention of the disease. Most people are following those rules and maintaining a safe distance while breathing and communicating with others.

But what about the doctors, ambulance operators, nurses, and other health workers who are working in the proximity of the COVID-19 patients? Maintaining a safe distance from those patients is not possible for them every time. Therefore, doctors and other health workers are also falling sick. Here comes the role of COVID-19 doctor’s health mask.

Hows and whys of the COVID-19 doctor’s health mask

The COVID-19 doctor’s health mask is a solution for those people who have to work close to the patients. In this time of emergency, we cannot afford to lose them. They are dedicating their life to the common people and it’s our duty to save them. The proposed mask would be working in the following way:

• As it is known, COVID-19 is an airborne disease and can spread by droplets. Safe distancing while breathing must be kept. The COVID-19 mask helps the doctors to treat their patients and work with full concentration without the thought of maintaining a safe distance constantly nagging them.
• The COVID-19 doctor’s health mask would be a small kit that would be fitted outside the mask of the doctor, on the outer surface.
• When a living being respires air, the exhaled air is comparatively warmer than the immediate air surrounding it. It’s warm, moist, and humid in vaporized form.
• When the mask would be worn while treating the patient, the kit fitted outside the mask would detect the warm breath of the patient if the doctor goes too close to its respired air zone. After detecting it would start buzzing/beeping.
• Once it starts making the noise the doctor in the patient’s proximity will get alert and immediately maintain the required safe distance again.

In this way, the doctors can be saved at least from going too close to the diseased patient. This mask can be used by other health workers like nurses, janitors, or someone who has to work close to the patients.

Note: The noise would work as an alarm for the face mask wearer. Since the kit would be fitted outside the mask, it will be ensured that the wearer’s breath itself isn’t detected by the kit.

Parts of the kit

The kit for COVID-19 doctor’s health mask will consist of the following parts:

• Arduino chip: to govern the sensor accordingly
• Digital temperature checker: to check the room temperature so that comparatively higher temperatures can be detected
• Sensor: to detect the warm exhaled air
• Speaker: to buzz/beep

Once went near the proximate respired zone (will be set according to the doctors), the sensor will detect it and will start beeping, which will alarm the doctor.

This article was submitted as an entry to TechSpeak- You Innovate, We Narrate!