Google has developed an Ebola-proof tablet that will be deployed in Sierra Leone for use by doctors and medical care professionals working on site.
Google’s tablet is basically a Sony Xperia tablet featuring a protective shell that can withstand high chlorine dousing and exposure to high humidity and storms typical of West Africa.
One of the primary issues for onsite medical personnel is communication with patients. The reason? The medical professionals are are required to be fully encased in protective hazmat suits, complete with goggles and wearing multiple layers of gloves, to avoid contact with infected bodily fluids in the highly toxic environment.
Given the high risk of infection even a piece of paper possesses, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) doctors on site had to resort to shouting patient notes to workers on the other side of the protective zone fence, making the task tedious and prone to errors.
To address the issue, MSF challenged a number of technology volunteers to create an ‘Ebola-proof tablet’ to improve efficiency. This collective, which included Whitespell’s Pim de Witte and Hack4Good’s Daniel Cunningham, grew to include a member of Google’s Crisis Response Team, and it was this group that developed the device.
The Ebola-proof tablet is encased in polycarbonate with industrial level waterproofing and all sharp edges removed. It can be used wearing protective gloves and can be dipped in a 0.5 per cent chlorine solution (which kills Ebola, and which if used with unprotected hands can cause chemical burns) and removed from the treatment zone. The device can be charged wirelessly.
Further, the Ebola information system developed by MSF and Google involves a software that runs on the tablet and server by building atop OpenMRS, an existing open source medical records tool. The tablet transmits data to servers on the outside of the zone. Wireless transmission feature might not be impressive for most of the readers, but considering the lack of infrastructure in Sierra Leone, it does prove to be a great feature.
