Inventors get creative to combat virus spread
Three weeks ago Michael Gartrell was made redundant from his engineering job. But now, thanks to a bright idea and a Facebook post, he has a booming business.
The 22-year-old from Auckland has designed and manufactured a foot-operated hand sanitiser dispenser that has captured the attention of thousands across the country.
He posted the dispenser on the Facebook group New Zealand Made Products last week. The post received more than 10,000 likes and 900 comments in 24 hours. Orders have started to flood in.
‘‘It’s been absolutely crazy. Everyone has been super supportive,’’ Gartrell said.
‘‘I still haven’t had a chance to read all the comments because I’ve been busy trying to get the business up and running to keep up with everyone’s [orders].’’
He started designing the dispenser at the beginning of the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown in his bedroom at his parents’ home. He sourced recycled wood from around the house and used his 3D printer to design plastic components.
Unfortunately the printer broke two days into lockdown, so production had to be put on hold.
Once the country moved to level 3 he was able to source four printers and weather-resistant New Zealand pine to build the dispensers, which also has a clipboard attachment to help with contact tracing.
Production has got so big he has moved from the bedroom to his father’s workshop, where he eats and sleeps to keep up with demand.
It takes about four hours to create one of the dispensers. While the printers are creating the plastic components – made from a durable, carbon neutral bio polymer – he’s busy working on the wooden pieces.
Gartrell took the original prototype out to local businesses in his area and listened to the feedback. He then made it ‘‘prettier’’ and the orders started come in.
The first 50 orders came in overnight following the Facebook post, and now there is a wait list as he and his partner work through the orders that pop up on his Facebook page, Mike and the Machines.
The first batch was distributed around Auckland and the next lot will be sent around the country.
‘‘I’ve always wanted to have my own business . . . I gave it a go and didn’t expect it to go this crazy.’’
He has tried to keep the price of the dispenser down to make it affordable to small and mediumsized businesses. It retails for $170.
‘‘That was my initial market I wanted to get into – like, cafes,’’ he said. ‘‘Now it’s a bit bigger.’’
Gartrell is also working on a wheelchair-friendly design.
Entrepreneur Ulrich Frerk is another inventor who has thought creatively during the Covid-19 crisis.
Frerk, along with his team at Adriot, have created a contactless, portable fever detection kit.
Users need to be 13 centimetres from the device, which takes three temperature measurements within five seconds. It then flashes a red or green light, he said.
‘‘If you’ve got a fever it goes red and it will beep to alert as well.’’
The device was perfect for shared offices and for crowd management in the hospitality and events sectors, he said. The first devices will be ready for purchase or lease and distribution next week.
‘‘[The kit is] completely contactless. No-one has to hold the device,’’ he said.
It can be stand-alone or connected to the cloud, where it gathers information for contact tracing.
The drive to create the device was not to make money, but rather to contribute to the greater good of the recovery from Covid-19, Frerk said.
‘‘We’ve kept the margin as low as possible . . . The whole idea is to help people to feel more comfortable in their environment.’’