3D printed origami technology to help fight COVID-19

Researchers at Simon Fraser University’s Additive Manufacturing Lab are reproducing a distinctive art form – the subtle folding of origami – to create 3D printable technologies to help fight COVID-19 and help doctors identify and diagnose various health problems.

The work, led by Woo Soo Kim, associate professor at the SFU School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, is an inexpensive portable 3D printed fan driven by a patented and intelligent 3D printed origami tube. A detailed overview of the design and development of the innovation, recently evaluated by a local team of respiratory therapists, has been published in the journal Flexible and printed electronics.

The portable mechanical ventilator is designed to aid a person’s breathing by reliably contracting a 3D printed origami tube, rather than squeezing a conventional bag valve mask (BVM), reducing the overall size of the assisted breathing machine with a gain in mechanical resistance. The 3D printed design and lightweight materials also reduce production costs.

In our portable origami fan, over 95% of the components can be 3D printable, which is why it is really cost effective. Other portable fans can cost over $ 2,000, but our 3D printed fan can be produced for around $ 200. “

Woo Soo Kim, Associate Professor, SFU School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering

Kim says the small and lightweight design, combined with low production costs, makes their portable ventilator useful for treating COVID-19 patients or patients who need a compact and portable device outside of hospital settings, such as long-term care homes or in remote areas. rural areas and developing countries.

The team partnered with Vancouver fan maker Pantheon Design and 3D printing company Tinkerine from Delta, with support from the Alliance program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The team is also looking for other investment and development partners with a goal of mass production.

Development of origami-based 3D dry electrodes for detection robots to help healthcare professionals

Kim also develops and patents 3D origami dry electrodes that can be used to monitor patient health. This technology falls under the same intellectual property strategy as 3D printed origami technologies. The dry electrodes can sense and monitor physiological signals, such as heart rate, respiration, temperature and muscle movements, all with just a touch of the 3D origami dry electrodes.

In the future, Kim envisions that this technology could be used to help doctors and nurses by allowing them to assess patient health remotely through a robotic assistant.

The humanoid robot is also said to be able to monitor oxygen levels – useful in cases where a patient has developed severe COVID-19. The data can be viewed in real time on the robot monitor or sent directly to the healthcare provider.

“The dry electrode does not need to be equipped with the detection robot – it can be used in a hospital setting to replace the wet gel type electrode for electrophysiology such as EKG or blood pressure measurement applications. blood pressure, ”says Kim. “Dry electrodes are just one of the technologies in this portfolio of 3D origami technologies that we are developing here at SFU.”