The world of fablabs and makers has seen a proliferation of initiatives over the past ten days. Through Facebook groups, Slack and other collaborative tools, a multitude of initiatives seek to develop artificial respirators and protective masks that can be easily manufactured and duplicated, for example through 3D printing.

While the competitiveness cluster EMC2 listshas been asked by the government to identify 3D printing equipment, the French Fablab Network (RFFLabs) has undertaken to identify as many projects as possible and to put them in contact with each other.

According to RFFLabs, needs and their prioritization become clearer.

• "Initially, the need to which our community seems to be the most able to respond effectively is that of protective visors. Useful for caregivers as well as for all professionals in contact with the public (trade, security forces, ambulance drivers, postal workers...) they are easy to produce and neutral in terms of sanitary risks. But be careful, it is absolutely necessary to use as little filament as possible, because it will be of capital importance to make respirators and valves when these devices will be validated by the authorities and when their manufacture will be of vital urgency.
• "In a second step, hospitals let us know that they are starting to run out of electric syringe pumps, and we call on makers to initiate a challenge to meet this need via the usual channels, with the constraint of minimal use of 3D printing."
• "In the third stage, it is likely that the respirators, essential to keep the most severely affected people alive, will run out. There are now several prototypes being tested by the community. Until they are validated, we urge the community to use the types of filament needed to make these devices as sparingly as possible and to be ready to launch large-scale manufacturing if necessary.

The RFFLabs coordination team has gathered on a page some of these visor projects tested and approved by recognized Makers and users already equipped, as well as the safety recommendations to manufacture, deliver.

covid-initiatives.org : a platform to identify initiatives

Through this platformplatform, RFFLabs tries to show in the most readable way all these projects that emerge from citizen mobilizations.

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