esco - Far-UVC headband for COVID-19, 2021
esco is a headband that is supposed to stop people from dying and bring us back to normal life until the Corona vaccine is fully available. This headband uses Far-UVC light which is safe for human skin and eyes to create an invisible light area around the head, which prevents the virus from being transmitted and kills them if it comes in contact with the light rays. With esco, we can return to normal life with fewer restrictions alongside the Covid-19 and also other airborne viruses in future.
Design Story
When I was diagnosed with Covid-19 in September 2020 and my doctor decided to quarantine me for 30 days, I decided, now that I was in the heart of the matter and I was touching it with all my being, I would find a solution to this tragedy. A solution that will save people's lives until the vaccine is found, bring us back to normal life and the simple moments that have become dreams. I remember World War Z film, how Gerry (Brad Pitt) was able to find a creative solution to save people and get people back to normal life with the zombie virus. The last scene in which he drank a can of Pepsi and dropped the cans on the ground, calling the zombies to the sound and passing through them easily, was a magnificent scene that inspired me. Gerry did’nt know how to eradicate the virus, but he did have the creativity to live with it. I started studying ways to deal with the virus when I found an articles which belonged to Columbia University that they had succeeded in inventing a type of UVC ray called Far-UVC which not only could eradicate the airborne virus such as Covid-19 but also is not harmful to the human body and skin. Far-UVC technology and Gerry for me were the inspirations for the idea I named esco.
Prototyping
Awards
IF Design Talent Award, Germany, 2021
Teammate
Ali Shahryari
Special Thanks to: Alireza Shokouhi and Saba Beizaei