Pupils in Vietnam design Covid-19 helmet

Three Vietnamese pupils have designed a helmet that allows frontline health workers to have a snack or even scratch their nose without exposing themselves to the coronavirus.

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on the tradeoff between the safety of protective personal equipment (PPE) and its discomfort, especially for workers who are required to suit up in such outfits for hours.

Pupils were set a challenge to design a helmet connected to a respirator that not only protects but allows frontline workers to remain productive for longer.

The group came up with the Vihelm”, from “Vietnam” and helmet ”. It has a glove box-like access so that wearers can fit a hand inside for simple tasks, such as wiping sweat off their face or cleaning a visor while keeping the helmet sealed.

A big difference with this helmet is the glove box … You can use it to interact with your face safely,” said Tran Nguyen Khanh An, 14, one of the pupils who won a Best Invention Design Award at the International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada in August for their design.

The futuristic-looking helmet also has an internal compartment that can hold a snack for a frontline worker and is attached by a tube to a powered airpurifying respirator to exclude contaminated air.

The Vihelm, which costs less than $300 to make, even has pockets for scratching around the head area if the device starts rubbing it.