UT-Shield

Soft Boundaries Lab has been developing a new design for a 3d-printed protective face shield for doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals on the front lines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new face shield features a comfortable ergonomic design for prolonged use, doesn’t require additional accessories such as elastic bands, integrates a top visor, is quickly 3d-printed with optimized material usage, weighs only 1 ounce, and, with a letter-sized clear visor and 3-hole punch, takes less than 5 seconds to assemble.

In developing the UT-Shield, Soft Boundaries Lab collaborated with several nurses and doctors to test the design and ensure it was effective in comfort and protection. The design was submitted for the 3D Pioneers Challenge and was a finalist in the competition. Read more about the submission here.

Further development of the UT-Shield progressed with minor changes to enable injection mold production while still maintaining the key design features. This allows for quicker mass production which the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) will be utilizing during the Fall semester of 2020.

Additionally, through the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Research Foundation (UTRF), the UT-Shield design is patent-pending and available for licensing. You can learn more about the patent and license through UTRF website.