Confronting COVID-19 - The case of PPE and Medical Devices production using Digital Fabrication at PUC-Rio

Authors

  • Jorge Roberto Lopes dos Santos Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia, Divisão de Desenho Industrial, Laboratório de Modelos Tridimensionais - Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Artes e Design: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
  • João Victor Correia de Melo Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Artes e Design: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
  • Leonardo Frajhof Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Escola de Medicina e Cirurgia: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Aline Reis Kauffmann

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/sdrj.2020.133.15

Abstract

At the end of 2019, the first cases of COVID-19 were registered. As the disease spread across continents culminating in a pandemic, countries suffered from a shortage of personal protective equipment. In Brazil, the first case was recorded on February 2020. This study aims to describe the experience of creating an interinstitutional network to meet the pandemic’s demands and the experience of transforming an academic design laboratory into space for the production of personal protective equipment using 3D printing and laser cutting techniques. The actions described in this study, made it possible to meet the high emergency demand for PPE in the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as the construction of knowledge both within the scope of building networks to solve complex social problems and about the possibilities of production in an academic environment. The work addresses and reflexes this action on society's perception of Design professionals.

Author Biography

Jorge Roberto Lopes dos Santos, Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia, Divisão de Desenho Industrial, Laboratório de Modelos Tridimensionais - Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Artes e Design: Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Lecturer/Researcher

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Published

2020-12-23

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2020): Sep/Dec

Section

Specific design responses to the on-going crisis

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