Arm Door Opener - COVID-19

thingiverse

Human: As COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Europe, concern about the rapid spread of the virus grew. Engineers at CIM-UPC joined forces with working groups to design, validate, manufacture, and distribute respirators, masks, and protective visors. However, preventing new infections remained a top priority. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious for hours or even days on certain materials like steel. Engineers at CIM UPC realized that many door handles in hospitals, work centers, and shops were breeding grounds for infection. To address this issue, they began analyzing available door-opening solutions without using hands. However, none of them met their requirements: easy assembly, adaptability to different handle types, and accessibility to necessary components. Undeterred, the engineers got to work. After a week of design and prototyping, they created the Arm Door Opener. This single-piece device can be manufactured in under 4 hours using any desktop 3D printer and assembled with just 3 cable ties in under a minute. The design comes in two versions for left- and right-opening doors, requiring no special training or technical expertise. The digital design can be replicated worldwide, minimizing the risk of COVID-19 contagion. CIM UPC's spin-off, BCN3D, has made its 3D printers available to produce components. Over 60 machines are dedicated to fighting COVID-19. Production is also underway at Barcelona Local Manufacturing Athenaeums (public Fablabs) and MakerSpace in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda. All participants contributed to the co-design of the opener, ensuring widespread distribution. The digital information for reproducing the Arm Door Opener can be downloaded free from CIM-UPC's website or main 3D file repositories. Thanks to network innovation and universal access to CAD tools and additive manufacturing, globalization may have spread the virus, but it will also facilitate its defeat. This collective success during confinement demonstrates the power of collaboration. CIM UPC continues working tirelessly to develop solutions that can help in the fight against COVID-19. About CIM UPC CIM UPC is a technological centre of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and a world leader in additive manufacturing. It adds value to society by generating technology and training top technologists in Industry 4.0. Their activities include a professional master's program, production of prototypes and customized pre-series, advanced mechanization, and research in all fields of additive manufacturing, including the development and manufacture of bespoke 3D printers. CIM UPC is committed to boosting Digital Manufacturing through Research, Innovation, Technology Transfer, and Training. It provides tools to companies and professionals to create and improve their products and manufacturing processes, bringing industrial real-world applications to the university and helping the industrial ecosystem achieve maximum technological competitiveness.