Researcher Albert De Beir of research group BruBotics developed a plastic adaptor to turn a snorkelling mask into an emergency mask for medical staff.
Already 100 masks were made through 3D printing and delivered to the GZA hospital in Antwerp.
At the same time, a collective in France was working on a similar system for the same Decathlon EasyBreath Subea mask, and is now producing the adaptor on a large scale. To meet the urgent need for more protection, the two groups have joined forces. The industrial collective and Ethias are sharing this solution on a large scale, free of charge, to interested Belgian hospitals.