In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, many architects, designers, and students are turning to 3D-printing to rapidly produce much needed equipment, like protective gear for healthcare workers and respirator valves for sick patients. In their own effort to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, Belgian manufacturing company Materialise recently released free design files for a hands-free door opener that makes you use your wrist (ideally covered by a sleeve) instead of your bare hands to touch door handles, which are a hotspot for germs. Even MayoClinic has printed the door openers to be used in their facilities.
This add-on door opener doesn't require drilling holes or replacing your door's existing handle. According to Materialise, you only have to fasten the two 3D-printed pieces together with screws over your existing door handle. The company also created different designs to fit over different types of door handles. Or, you can adapt their design to make your own.
Last but not least, you can't ignore the fact that you'll still have to clean and disinfect the door opener regularly, which Materialise notes. And keep washing those hands!
You can download Materialise's design files here. The video linked below shows the door opener in action.
6 Comments
or toilet paper (wrap hand in toilet paper)
needs to be parametric for the lever part. 3d scan levers and upload, etc...
isn't it easier to wash your hands than it is to wash your jacket?
i just carry a pack of tissues in my pocket. this seems like a faster fix than replacing door handles.
yeah they literally have no model that would work with the most commonly encountered door knob
By the way, a little gizmo like this - easy to install and cheap - could be how owners and BOMA people can begin to make older buildings into spaces that are more friendly to disabled populations / bring things closer to ADA compliance. But it better work on a shitty cheap twist doorknob, or it's next to worthless
Don't encounter those much in the wild except in very old buildings owned by folks who wouldn't install a new legal handle much less 3d print an add-on...
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