The academic community of Informatics and Telecommunication Department, University of Ioannina could not stay aloof to the everyday battle that the hospital personnel is giving against COVID-19. With an absolute sense of responsibility and inspired by a sense of solidarity, University of Ioannina participates in the mobilization that latterly takes place by many research organizations in the direction of producing useful sanitary material, utilizing the resources and equipment of its laboratories.
A group of professors, PhD candidates and students of the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications give an everyday battle with time, utilizing 3D printers, resources and other infrastructures of the Department for production of adequate number of protecting masks, which are granted for the needs of University Hospital of Ioannina and other regional hospitals.
In the time being, the estimated daily production is about 16-20 masks and further improvements will be held in the near future in order to maximize the daily production rate. Being an ongoing process and under the state of time pressure, continuing upgrading of printing parameters and materials design are inevitable in the direction of saving time.
Moreover, the prospect of printing other disposable materials, which probably will be in shortage in case the number of people affected by coronavirus increases in the region is examined in collaboration with the University Hospital of Ioannina and the Pulmonary Clinic.
It is the Department’s deep belief that Research, Technical Knowledge and Technology that academic institutions hold should be provided to the community’s disposal to cater its needs and contribute to its wellbeing, much more when times and circumstances call for it.
