Medical Design Briefs - October 2021 - 39

especially for the eyes, and guard against the natural instinct to
touch the face and thus come into close contact with the virus.
■ Pandemics and Innovation
The Black Death pandemic in the 14th century lasted more
than 100 years and killed nearly 50 percent of the population
in Europe. It also led to the innovation of clocks, eyeglasses,
quarantines, and the control of movement of people and
goods. Many public health measures still employed today started
in that era.5
The 1918 pandemic led to a rethinking of public health policies.
Many European nations established centralized healthcare
systems, and the U.S. adopted employer-based plans. Access to
healthcare increased across the globe after that pandemic.
While innovation is hardly new in response to a pandemic,
the measures by which businesses respond have grown more
sophisticated, more technology driven, and in an information
age, more focused on reliable data.
Just as important, the cycle has not yet run its course.
Innovation has already started, but the next few years will
undoubtedly lead to even more products that can be used to
help stop the spread in future pandemics.
References
1. Eds., " Spanish Flu, " May 19, 2020, https://www.history.com/topics/
world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic#section_10
2. G. McDonald, " 5 Advances That Followed Pandemics, " July 15,
2020, https://www.history.com/news/pandemics-advances
3. " CleanSlate UV Provides Update on Staggering Market Demand
and 2020 Company Momentum, " Jan. 20, 2021, https://www.
prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleanslate-uv-provides-update-onstaggering-market-demand-and-2020-company-momentum301211695.html
4.
L. Kalter, " Coronavirus Puts UV in the Disinfectant Spotlight, " May
19, 2020, https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200519/
coronavirus-puts-uv-in-the-disinfectant-spotlight
5. E. Larson, " Innovation In The Age Of Pandemics, " PMtimes, July 29,
2020, https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/innovation-in-theage-of-pandemics/
This
article was written by Thomas Renner, who writes on engineering,
building, construction, and other trade industry topics for publications
throughout the United States. For more information on igus,
visit http://info.hotims.com/79418-342.
Stepping Up Emergency Medical Production with Robotics
In March 2020, France was unprepared for the COVID 19pandemic,
with an inadequate supply of gloves, masks, and
vital equipment for people in respiratory distress. Industrial
companies in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region began working
to urgently build up a state reserve of filters needed for
the operation of medical ventilators. Their solution was an
automated cell combining Stäubli's SCARA TS2-60 and 6-axis
TX2-90 robots, which was designed and manufactured within
a few weeks.
At the beginning of 2020, Hervé de Malliard, CEO of
MGA Technologies (Civrieux d'Azergues, Rhône) ob -
served the first signs of the COVID-19 crisis. As chairman
of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Committee of French
Foreign Trade Advisors, he anticipated that there would be
a shortage of medical equipment and contacted the health
authorities.
" French hospitals only had 5,000 ventilators available. With
global production capacities saturated, and all available
stocks having already been snapped up, we didn't have a
moment to waste in order to save lives, " de Malliard explains.
" MGA compiled a list of 62 respirator manufacturers located
throughout the world, established what their capacities and
stocks were, informed them of the upcoming shortage of consumable
items, and then proposed that the government build
up a state reserve of filters for respirators to cover the country's
needs for several months or even several years. The state
accepted this offer, provided that we would be responsible for
manufacturing these medical devices and maintain a 100 percent
French-owned subsidiary. "
■ A Race Against Time
Known as an ambassador of the " French Fab, " de
Malliard helped manufacturers and start-ups assemble the
400 parts required for the construction of a respirator, thus
organizing the creation of a French supply chain for cerMedical
Design Briefs, October 2021
Intro
Cov
Stäubli robots were selected for demanding medical and pharmaceutical
applications due to their outstanding performance and hygienic design.
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
ToC
+
-
A
µ
39
È

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic#section_10 https://www.history.com/news/pandemics-advances https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cleanslate-uv-provides-update-on-staggering-market-demand-and-2020-company-momentum-301211695.html https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200519/coronavirus-puts-uv-in-the-disinfectant-spotlight https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/innovation-in-the-age-of-pandemics/ http://info.hotims.com/79418-342 http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com http://info.hotims.com/79418-966

Medical Design Briefs - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Medical Design Briefs - October 2021