FIRST Team 1305 was approaced by local medical doctors to build a UV Sterilizer Cart to sterlize personal items (ie. phones/keys) and N95 & surgical masks that are currently being reused. We built 2 prototypes that are currently at North Bay General Hospital being tested for their effectiveness. Once official results from the hospital are known, we will post them. (ie. times needed in unit for various items)
Some small and medium health care centres may soon be in a position where they need to re-use PPE Personal Protective Equipment such as surgical masks and N95 respirators, face shields etc. As well, there is a need no find cost-effective ways to passively clean and sterilize personal equipment such as cell phones, communication badges like Vocera units, ID badges, goggles, etc.
We have put together a DIY UV sterilizer usuable by a small institution if they are unable to locate or afford a proper industrial/commercial model. Benefit: it could be made by any clever teenager as a home project during the quarantine, and the parts are all obtainable locally or online. Downside: we have not had time to test it to determine how long it takes to sterilize the various items (?science fair project for said teenagers?). At the very worst, we suspect it is a safe, sterile cabinet to store soiled items during the standard cool-down periods