Covid-19: Italy integrates shipping container ICU pods
From unused passenger trains in India to empty shipping containers in Italy…
Although lockdowns are beginning to ease up in various locations around the world, healthcare systems continue to struggle amidst a constant tide of Covid-19 infections. But in Turin, Italy, CURA pods have been installed at a temporary hospital site.
A single CURA pod, which is essentially a shipping container with ICU capabilities, can host two coronavirus patients, as well as ventilators, monitors, and IV stands. The CURA pods can be quickly installed, much like a hospital tent, but are equipped as an isolation ward, and each pod can operate independently, with windows on opposite sides of the container for doctors to check on patients’ wellbeing.
The project – which was designed collaboratively by a large international task force made up of engineers, researchers, health experts, and designers – is open source, so other designers around the world are encouraged to download information to create more, or to add their own expertise to the design.
Additional units are reportedly under construction around the world, including in the UAE and Canada.