UShield.US Partners with CoDesign Collaborative

CoDesign Collaborative joins the effort to aid the perilous lack of medical equipment during the COVID-19 crisis.

Images from UShield.US

By Sabaat Kareem

UShield.US is a network of product designers from Fresco Design, iGen Corporation, and Lacerta Corporation working to supply face shields for essential workers and medical personnel. Producing face shields in a factory in Massachusetts, UShield.US has managed to ship 15,000* shields around the country. 

UShield.US began its work when COVID-19 reached New England, knowing that medical centers throughout the region would be overwhelmed with cases. Since then, their efforts have provided equipment to medical centers and essential workers throughout the country. Personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers is incredibly scarce; their face shields, made of clear food grade PET sheet plastic and polyurethane foam, are worn over surgical or N95 masks to prolong face mask use. Because the shields are protecting medical gear, they do not need to meet strict medical regulations and have become extremely popular among makers helping with the pandemic. Also, the design of the shields allows for rapid production at a large scale, with no assembly needed.

UShield.US operates on donations from the public in hopes to provide free equipment. Each dollar of donations produces one face shield. We’re happy to announce that CoDesign Collaborative is the 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, so all donations made to UShield.US are tax-deductible. Gustavo Fontana is one of the industrial designers recruited by UShield.US. Gustavo and the team’s passion and urgency is well worth it. He says, “every day you can get an extra shield faster to a worker, it’s potentially lifesaving for that person.” 

You can support or place an order from UShield.US on their website. In order to continue to assist medical centers and essential workers UShield.US still needs about $15,000 in donations. 

*Includes PPE already sent, as well as orders in progress as of 4/17/2020