The new suit is designed to do better at keeping workers safely free of contact with contagious body fluids and will also keep workers cooler than the traditional suit. Improvements include a large visor in the hood, a rear zipper, a new doffing style that has fewer steps than that of existing equipment, and a battery-powered air source that cools the wearer by blowing air into the hood, according to the report.
The suit could be mass produced as soon as April.
The Johns Hopkins team is comprised of medical experts, engineers, students and volunteers and is supervised by the university’s Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design and Jhpiego, a nonprofit Johns Hopkins affiliate. The project was selected for federal funding by the U.S. Agency for International Development under its program, “Fighting Ebola: A Grand Challenge for Development.”
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