As the spread of the coronavirus grows, the fashion industry is now stepping up, pulling out of their sleeve a design that you can wear in public despite the virus.
Китайский архитектор представил концепт костюма для защиты от коронавируса. Он утверждает, что это изобретение может «превратить контакт с вирусом в способ его уничтожения, а не распространения» https://t.co/w5HNjbZDaH pic.twitter.com/m9hc6owOwX — TJ (@tjournal) February 26, 2020
There is a conceptual design that was created by a Chinese architect, Sun Dayong. It is a shield that says that it can protect the wearer in any event of an outbreak.
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How can the shield stop the virus
Its theory is that by using UV light, it can sterilize itself. It will be designed out of carbon fiber supports that are shaped like batwings, aptly named "Be a Bat-Man". It will be worn like a backpack, and a PVC film would stretch between the supports, it's like the membrane of a bat's wing. The wires in the plastic, in turn, would heat up to a temperature high enough to eliminate all pathogens creating a sterile and safe environment for the user.
What makes them so sure
The designers are operating on the assumption that the virus can be killed by around 56 degrees celsius. "The PVC film cover is like our car windshields - there is heater wire in between the glass for heat the ice and snow in the winter," he told Dezeen." But sure, we still need to do a lot of work with engineers for real production."
Just a concept or something more
For now, the designer Sun Dayong is still looking for a backer to turn this unique concept to a reality and would offer his services free of charge. He already has plans on when the epidemic will be contained; he can convert the shield with Google Glass technology. The quirky suggestion is to make it a "unique private mobile space for people," which is fantastic but maybe too advanced for the times.
Why a bat design
The design was mimicked by the bat, which is ironic. Since the bat has been talked about that it was the primary carrier of the disease, so says some experts. However, it has not been affected by the virus more than humans are. Studies show that the reason for the bat to be mildly immune is that since they have the capabilities of flight, they can increase their body temperature to 40 degrees celsius and also have a fast metabolism that curbs the spread of disease and pathogens in them.
There indeed is something to think about, especially given the spread of the virus, and the idea is simple enough to grasp, as for people who would use this device looks ridiculous. The shield sounding more like a coffin because of the constant heat it will radiate once you're inside to kill the germs might not work too good for you as well. Here is to hoping that they fix what needs to be fixed and make this accessible to all. If not, it's just another pipe dream.
