Google has created a tablet which can be soaked in chlorine for decontamination, for doctors fighting against the Ebola outbreak. Until now, doctors fighting the highly contagious disease have had to forgo their gadgets for pen and paper, since they have to wear full body suits, gloves, and masks in 90-degree weather.
The Android tablet, made by Google at the request of the French organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), communicates with a battery-powered server outside of high-risk zones, allowing doctors to save and retrieve patient records easily. The tablet is encased in polycarbonate, a durable polymer often used because of its temperature and impact-resistant properties. It can withstand being dipped in chlorine, which doctors in high-risk zones must do for 10 minutes to sanitize it before moving outside high-risk zones, according to a report from Wired. Its sharp edges have been removed so there is no risk of piercing the protective clothing health workers wear, and it can be charged quickly and wirelessly by being placed on a table.
Although it is on the wane now, the Ebola epidemic has claimed more than 10,000 lives, according to the World Health Organization’s latest report. Google and MSF are now deploying this new tablet in Sierra Leone, in an effort to make the work of health care workers just a tiny bit easier.
