FROLIC studio is a small design studio based on the Amsterdam canals, and their approach to the role the maker movement can play during the corona crisis is one to keep an eye out for. The shortage of PPE had them thinking not about adding new successful designs and materials, but about recycling as a way to go about dealing with scarcity. By not responding to the crisis immediately, but by first taking a step back, they managed to design an open source, easy-to-use decontamination kit for medical and protective masks, based on IKEA’s KUGGIS box and the use of UV-C light.

The process

Starting from their gut feeling and experience with sterilizing medical equipment, the studio decided that creating a design for decontamination of PPE was a good way to go. Searching for validation and technical possibilities, they found an American study that was a breakthrough in their design process. In it, they found that certain wavelengths of UV-C light have the property to also stop the spread of viruses similar to the Coronavirus. Normally, UV-C light is broadly used for decontamination in a broader sense, and is found for example in aquariums to keep the water clean and free from bacteria.

Parallel to the development of the device, the studio set up a design research phase through a call-out. This led to the gathering and coordination of over 130 volunteers, next to which the studio interviewed dozens of medical healthcare workers and people on the frontlines. Their first prototype of the COVID-19 decontamination kit was subsequently sent for testing to the HygCen lab in Germany, who had offered to help them in their endeavour. A screen test was performed with a bovine surrogate of the coronavirus with successful results, with a reduction of ≥ 4lg steps from the test masks after just an 8 minute cycle.

FROLIC studio, COVID-19 decontamination toolkit.

The kit

So, how does the decontamination kit work? It is made out of supplies that are easily available online or in physical shops. Inside the box, used face masks can be attached to hooks, and after closing it, the UV-C light has to be switched on for a given amount of time, which ensures the masks will be fully decontaminated. FROLIC studio built a custom online calculator, to determine exactly how many minutes the masks need to be exposed to UV-C light, based on the type of light bulb used and the size of the box.

One thing that was important for FROLIC was to make sure the decontamination kit not only was reliable but also looked reliable: instead of presenting a tutorial for a device that works well but looks like an arts and crafts project, they knew it was fundamental for the kit to look professional. This way, the kit would instill trust in its users, which is an important part of a successful and widely applicable open source design like this. Among the downloadable content there are 3D files for printing, though it is also possible to build the kit without the use of 3D printers.

Access

On their website, FROLIC studio offers thoroughly researched protocols and instructions for creating and operating the COVID-19 decontamination toolkit. They also offer a matchmaking service between people who need the kit but are not able to make one, and people who can make the kit for them. The studio says they gained knowledge by looking at the use of the kit in a hospital context, but they are now also looking into what this solution might offer in a non-medical context, for people who show up to work every day but have limited access to PPE, because of the priority that hospitals currently have in the distribution of protective equipment.