HappyShield: A simple, elegant solution to PPE scarcity

Case study: HappyShield

As the pandemic engulfed Europe and North America, even the wealthiest countries struggled to source personal protective equipment (PPE) for their healthcare workers.

Dr Michael Ramage, who leads the Centre for Natural Material Innovation in the Department of Architecture, grew increasingly concerned about healthcare workers in poorer countries. How could they possibly obtain sufficient PPE – and how could he help?

The solution developed by Ramage’s team was a simple and elegant one: open-source instructions for a reusable face shield, folded and cut from a single sheet of plastic. Working
with the University of Queensland’s Folded Structures Lab, Ramage and team developed a design and created templates that plot two ‘curved-crease origami folds’ in a clear, semi-rigid plastic sheet plus a head strap. The result? A ‘HappyShield’ that provides a barrier from splashes and sprays of infected bodily fluids and can be cleaned and reused indefinitely.

We helped by securing pro-bono legal advice from contacts at DAC Beachcroft and the University’s Legal Services Office. These contacts supplied guidance on liability, regulatory, and licensing matters.

The HappyShield was trialled by ICU doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and certified by the British Standards Institution as approved PPE for the UK and EU. A HappyShield website provides the pattern for placement of the cuts and folds plus video instructions.

The design can be made using a wide range of methods, from DIY construction with scissors and a ruler, through to industrial manufacture with die-cutting machines. The removable straps allow the shield to be disinfected for reuse over multiple shifts.

The HappyShield design was widely taken up and used by independent makers in Taiwan, Singapore, India, and the USA. The project was covered by a large number of media outlets, including English and non-English language channels. It was featured in Portuguese, Thai, and Arabic language media outlets with a combined readership of nearly 2.4 million people.