In response to the Covid-19 crisis, University of Cape Town (UCT) Associate Professor Sudesh Sivarasu and his team of biomedical engineers have been working on a variety of biomedical devices, including a face shield that can be easily made with household items.
Called the ViZAR, the face shield is among the first of the team’s Covid-19 solutions to have been approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority.
The UCT team says it acts as a first line of defence between the user and any infectious, airborne particles and offers protection against harmful aerosols and prevents possible cross-contamination from users touching their faces.
The ViZAR was designed by postgraduate researcher Matthew Trusler, from the Division of Biomedical Engineering, in collaboration with Sivarasu, as well as Dr Stephen Roche of the UCT Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor Salome Maswime and Dr Tracey Adams of the UCT Division of Global Surgery and Saberi Marais from UCT Research Contracts & Innovation.