Abu Dhabi University creates face shield prototype for healthcare sector

The Abu Dhabi University (ADU) has developed its first prototype of a face shield which will be provided to hospitals and healthcare facilities across the emirate as part of the institution’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The face shields were created by laser cutting plastic materials and the final prototype took two days to create, including the initial blueprint design that was developed by modifying the existing design in order to accommodate the comfort factor and the time for manufacturing and assembling the parts, reported news agency WAM.

The university aims to send 100 of these shields to hospitals over the coming weeks.

ADU’s College of Engineering also used its engineering labs to produce over 1,000 clips required for face masks within two days.

“We were successful in creating the prototype using machinery in our laboratory, which we have also embedded in our curriculum for students to use as part of developing their practical skills. We support the students in using advanced technologies, such as 3D printing machines and laser cutting techniques, as part of our vision to provide our students with a holistic learning experience,” said Dr. Hamdi Sheibani, Dean of the College of Engineering.

The face shield project required the collective resources of members from different disciplines within the university. It included Abid Abdul Azeez, a teaching assistant specialising in mechanical engineering and Ahmed Al Awawdah, a teaching assistant specialising in architecture. The project was undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad Alkhedher, the chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, and Dr. Magdy Ibrahim, the chair of the Architecture and Interior Design Department.

“Using the resources available within our facilities, and the expertise of our resident faculty members and teaching assistants, we have been able to use advanced technology to support the local healthcare sector. We look forward to expanding our reach to other hospitals to share the products and do our part to help combat the virus,” said Professor Waqar Ahmad, chancellor of ADU.

Earlier this month, another university in the emirate – the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) – teamed up with Mubadala Healthcare to undertake 3D printing of masks.

Read: UAE’s Mubadala Healthcare and NYUAD to jointly produce 3D-printed medical masks

These masks are similar to the top-rated N95 mask, but additionally are reusable and also have replaceable filters.