Arm Door Opener - COVID-19

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Since the first case of COVID-19 in Europe was detected on January 24, concern about the exponential transmission of the virus has been on everyone's mind. In the field of engineering, there are different working groups with whom CIM-UPC is actively working on designing, validating, manufacturing, and distributing respirators, masks, or protective visors. But it's also very important to prevent new infections. And this is where the inherent risk of opening and closing doors in common areas of buildings, hospitals, work centers, or shops with the hands becomes apparent. According to a recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, SARS-CoV-2 can maintain its infectious properties for hours, even days, on certain materials like steel. The engineers at CIM UPC began analyzing different alternatives available on the market to open doors without using their hands and realized that none were easy enough to assemble or adapt to various types of handles. They also required special elements that were difficult to procure. So they got down to work. After a week of hard work, numerous designs, and prototypes, the final outcome is the Arm Door Opener. It consists of a single piece that can be manufactured in less than four hours with any desktop 3D printer and easily assembled with just three cable ties. This design has been made in two versions for doors that open to the left or right, and assembly takes less than a minute with only three cable ties and no need for training or technical expertise. This digital design, materialized by any 3D printer, can be replicated worldwide, which can help minimize the risk of COVID-19 contagion. At present, the first large batch will be manufactured at the BCN3D assembly center for desktop 3D printers, a spin-off of CIM-UPC, located on the UPC campus in Castelldefels (Barcelona). BCN3D is currently leading its sector and has made all their 3D printers available to fight against COVID, with over sixty dedicated components. The production of these openers is also planned for Barcelona Local Manufacturing Athenaeums (public Fablabs of the Barcelona City Council) and other centers like the MakerSpace in Santa Perpétua de Mogoda. All the digital information needed to reproduce the Arm Door Opener can be downloaded for free from CIM-UPC's website, as well as from major 3D file repositories available online. If globalization has spread the virus, it will also be able to facilitate its defeat thanks to network innovation and universal access to CAD tools and additive manufacturing. This is a collective success in a situation of confinement, with most participants working at home using their own 3D printer. With this contribution, CIM-UPC gives its answer to a pressing need that has been relegated due to the current health crisis but remains equally important. The CIM-UPC team continues working without pause in search of other solutions that could help fight against this virus.