High-tech helmets

DEVELOPED by Shenzhen technology company Kuang-chi, a smart helmet, which looks like a motorcycle helmet, can automatically pinpoint a person running a fever within a 5-meter radius.

Sound and light alarms on the helmet are triggered when anyone within range has a body temperature above 37.3 degrees Celisius. It can identify and record the body temperatures of more than 100 people in less than two minutes.

Guards wearing such helmets have been seen recently at subway entrances, large conference venues and on pedestrian streets in several cities, including Chengdu, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

New antimicrobial coating

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology announced last week that their researchers has developed a multilevel antimicrobial polymer (MAP-1) coating that can effectively kill viruses, bacteria and even hard-to-kill spores that may also be effective against COVID-19.

Developed by a team led by Yeung King Lun, a professor of the university’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Division of Environment and Sustainability, the new MAP-1 coating, using a special blend of anti-microbial polymers, is highly versatile with an effective period of up to 90 days.

The coating is designed for use on different surfaces including metals, concrete, wood, glass, plastics as well as fabrics, leathers and textiles without changing the materials’ appearance and tactile feel.

MAP-1 coating is confirmed to be effective against drug-resistant microorganisms by two field studies conducted recently by the team in a public hospital and an elderly home.

(Xinhua)