Weekly tech news – March 30, 2020

This week’s tech news is focused on the joined efforts of companies from all industry areas to fight COVID-19. Through a remarkable transformation of the manufacturing process, the 3D-printing industry is now making masks, medical face shields and ventilator valves for an overwhelmed medical system all around the world. Facebook, Microsoft, TikTok and several other tech companies are partnering with the World Health Organization and other health experts for #BuildforCOVID19, a global hackathon that aims to find software solutions for challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic. Other tech companies are focused on helping locally – some of them are developing medical instruments, others are offering free rides to the medical staff from home to work and back. Discover in this week’s summary how tech businesses and online communities are involved in the #coronavirus fight.

The 3D-printing industry is accelerating its efforts to help fight the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. On Tuesday, HP announced it’s working with those who bought its 3D printers to make medical face shields, hands-free door openers and an adjuster for face masks for medical staff who often must wear them for hours. It’s also testing “hospital-grade” face masks meeting the higher-end FFP3 (filtering facepiece) standard and parts for simple emergency ventilators. Carbon, a startup whose 3D printers are used to make everything from bicycle seats to teeth straighteners, said it plans to send face shield designs to its network of customers who’ve bought its 3D printers. Formlabs, another 3D-printer maker, is working on 3D-printed nasal swabs. Materialise, a Belgian 3D-printing company has developed hands-free door openers already. And an Italian 3D-printer enthusiast made ventilator valves. Find out more on CNet.

The biggest tech companies – Facebook, Microsoft, TikTok, and several other tech companies are partnering with the World Health Organization and other health experts for #BuildforCOVID19, a global hackathon that aims to find software solutions for challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, tech news announce. Find out more from this announcement from CNet.

Other companies are concentrating their efforts locally to help – Dyson has announced it will develop a new type of medical ventilator for the NHS, to help with coronavirus. The firm, headed by British inventor Sir James Dyson, said it had responded to the government’s request for help, as BBC notes, while Hertz is giving NYC health-care workers free car rentals during the coronavirus epidemic. The move will help get doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals off of public transit, and put some of Hertz’s fleet to work.

On the other hand, online communities from all over the world are offering support for isolated people and medical personnel. BBC had followed some social media groups that are springing up around the country as people come together to help their neighbors who may be self-isolating or need help with shopping. Watch the entire video news here.

In the end, there’s nothing like streaming video to help you weather the storm, CNet tech news note. And while Netflix, HBO, Hulu and all the rest cost a pretty penny, these free video streaming services are free. Just bring a working broadband plan and a tolerance for commercials — and you should be golden. Read the entire article on CNet.

 

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