Israel’s DDR&D Adapting Military Technology for Fight Against COVID-19
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A unique sticker, developed for military purposes, will upgrade face masks and protect medical staff. The National Emergency Team in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), headed by Brig. Gen. (Res.), Dr. Dani Gold, has decided to adopt the development made by Prof. Eyal Zussman of the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – a unique sticker that may be attached to a face mask, in order to increase its protective capabilities.
The adaptation of this tool, dubbed “Maya”, for current needs, was made in collaboration with the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya (northern Israel). This advanced addition will render masks more effective and reduce the risk of contagion among medical staff.
According to the Ministry of Defense Spokesperson’s statement, the Head of the Nanoengineering Lab at the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Eyal Zussman, and his team have developed a unique sticker, which may be attached to a standard surgical mask in order to improve its effectiveness. The sticker is produced using a 3D printer, and is composed of nanoscale fibers coated with disinfectants – a mechanism that enhances the capture and neutralization of nanoscale particles. The sticker was developed in collaboration with the scientists of the Department of Chemistry and Biological Infrastructure in the DDR&D, led by the department’s head Dr. Dan Greenstein, and accompanied by Prof. Samer Srouji, Director of the Oral Surgery Institute at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.
Interested in learning more about dual-use technologies? Attend iHLS’ InnoTech Expo in Tel Aviv – Israel’s largest innovation, HLS, and cyber technologies expo – on November 18-19, 2020. Meet the Expo’s steering committee
The Ministry of Health has given its initial approval of the sticker and in the coming days, a pilot will begin at the Galilee Medical Center to assess the medical staff’s implementation of the new tool. 
The “Maya” sticker joins a comprehensive set of tools developed and adapted by the DDR&D to combat the COVID-19 virus on every level: rapid diagnosis and early detection of virus carriers, curbing the spread of the virus, monitoring patients and preventing the infection of medical professionals.
The National Emergency Team led by the Director of the DDR&D, Brig. Gen. (Res.), Dr. Dani Gold, continues to identify and develop advanced technological solutions to help fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The DDR&D staff and their partners are working in all areas of research and development to adapt technology developed for military/defense purposes, for civilian needs in light of the global pandemic. The work is done around the clock and in shifts, in order to quickly reach the implementation stage in hospitals.
Interested in learning more about dual-use technologies? Attend i-HLS’ InnoTech Expo in Tel Aviv – Israel’s largest innovation, HLS, and cyber technologies expo – on November 18-19, 2020 at Expo Tel Aviv, Pavilion 2.
