Currently, the entire world is facing another pandemic which mainly revolves around a virus that causes respiratory disease. The ongoing Coronavirus epidemic is very contagious. The virus has the capability to spread from one surface to the other just by a touch. This also means that you will be able to infect yourself as well as others if you don’t wash your hands before touching your face. NASA’s new Pulse wearable is a DIY necklace that aims to help the public learn not to touch their face, at least not during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The space agency isn’t selling these, but its Jet Propulsion Laboratory has made its 3D-printed concept available as an open-source project for you to make themselves.
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A small team at JPL developed PULSE, a 3D-printed wearable pendant that vibrates when a person’s hand nears their face reminding them to avoid touching it in order to reduce potential #COVID19 infection. It's open source for everyone to make and refine: https://t.co/1WGb5yHj7I
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) June 25, 2020
NASA launches a necklace named Pulse to prevent Coronavirus
The working of the product is fairly simple. Once the wearer lifts their hands toward their face, a proximity sensor will detect this and, using power from a common button battery, cause the necklace to vibrate. This vibration will remind the wearer not to touch their face, which will help establish the muscle memory needed to form this new behavior.
NASA JPL also provides the necessary STL files, as well as a list of the parts you’ll need and the assembly instructions due to the entire project being an open-source work. The 3D printer aside, the rest of the components are simple to source and the pendant should be easily made by anyone who has basic electrical knowledge and DIY skills. However, it is very likely that some companies will latch on to this idea, improve it, and sell their own more refined versions to the public.
As of now, the public is warned to frequently wash their hands with soap and water or, when in public, to use hand sanitizer. Let us know what you think of this in the comments section below! Also, don’t forget to join us on our Telegram Channel for more such latest updates and discussions.
Suryapratim Ray is an engineer, author, robotics hobbyist, and an active Quoran. Being a technical blogger, he covers the good, bad, and ugly of science on a regular basis at Sciencenews18. In addition to his passion for writing, he’s equally keen on learning classical music.