M19 Shields for #COVID19

*Ketto is not charging its platform fees for this fundraiser*

One of the most important things that countries need to be doing to help understand and stop the spread of COVID-19 is testing! Healthcare workers around the world are working 24*7 to test patients that might be carrying the corona virus. These workers are in need of face shields during this time of intense testing in India. Face shields are personal protective equipment devices that are used by many workers (e.g., medical, dental, veterinary) for protection of the facial area and associated mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) from splashes, sprays, and spatter of body fluids. With the current lockdown, how can we fulfil the need of face shields locally for the hospitals in India?

We run a small community makerspace in Mumbai called Maker’s Asylum, which started out of a garage in Bandra and now has become an innovation hub with the love and support of everyone that comes to the space. The community is full of passionate individuals who are makers at heart and want to make a difference in this world. We had all been imagining a post apocalyptic world for a while but did not know that we will get to see it in our living lives. But here we are at the brink of a global pandemic and we cannot wait to help all the healthcare workers who are fighting this war for us!

Hence my colleague Narender and I decided to quarantine ourselves at the Asylum so that we could keep making. We wish to make and give out 10000 face shields to hospitals and doctors who are in need and we have designed something very simple that can be cut and assembled in 3 minutes! Although we have a few 3D printers, we have designed these face shields to be digital fabricated via a laser cutter because it is better, faster and cheaper to do so. Also, there over 500 makerspaces across the country and we believe our open source design can truly help achieve fast distributed and localized manufacturing via these labs in this time of lockdown and social distancing. Your support will help us source the raw materials and activate the community in all the states. For the true spirit of making in India #makersgonnamake 

Please note : Each face shield costs INR 55 to make which includes materials, tooling, electricity, rent, labor, breakage cost. So you can calculate how many shields your donation translates to. 

Here is the link to our open source design files : https://github.com/MakersAsylumIndia/Covid-19 

Pictures of our first batch being made on 27th March 2020!

 Some pictures from the last 4 weeks of work that we have put in since the lock down on 23rd March 2020.

Here's a quick update