3D Printing to Help Combat Covid-19

With the corona virus affecting millions around the world, there has been a call to take preventative measures to stop the spread of the disease. One of these measures has been to wear face masks whenever you go out into public, however this measure is increasingly becoming harder to do with the shortage of face masks sweeping the globe. In class, we talked about 3d printing, and how you can pretty much fabricate anything if you have the right design logistics for it. Now in this time of need, many 3d printing designers and manufactures are starting to produce 3d printed masks and respirators for people to use. According to an article posted by the 3d Printing Industry, “professional AM providers, makers and designers in the 3D printing community have already begun to respond to the global crisis by volunteering their respective skills to ease the pressure on supply chains and governments” (3d Printing Industry). This illustrates the power that 3d printing can have on our lives, where it can help produce things that can help keep us safe during difficult times. It’s also just not masks and respirators that are being 3d printed to help combat Covid-19, but also needed hospital values, door handle attachments (to help stop the spread of germs), and hand sanitizer holders.

I believe that the corona virus has really started to show people the power that 3d printing can have to help make our lives easier. It has really started easing the pressure on placed on companies that are having supply-chain issues because of the virus, and it has started to produce items that everyday consumers can use as well. I believe that we are only on the forefront of what 3d printing is going to be able to do, and the coronavirus has only highlighted the benefits that 3d printing can bring. It will be interesting to see the role that 3d printing will play after the pandemic is finally over.

3D Printing Community responds to COVID-19 and Coronavirus resources

The Effect of Covid-19 and Virtual Reality

With Covid-19 taking the world by storm, people’s everyday lives are being disrupted for now an extended period of time. Who knows when life will be able to return to normal, and people will be able to interact with one another. Now that everyone is deprived of interacting with the world in person, some people are looking to virtual reality to bring back some normalcy to everyone’s lives. Some software developers are looking to use virtual reality to bring back the experiences of going to concerts or sporting events. Nicole Ou-Yang writes in her post for The Medium that, “companies are looking to take advantage of virtual reality capabilities to bring the experience [of concerts] to people in their own homes, and filmmakers and organizers are looking for new ways to showcase their work (Medium). This illustrates the advantages that virtual reality can have on people’s lives, because it can allow people to experience things that they normally wouldn’t be able to experience. Especially now in this time of crisis, virtual reality could become very popular in the future if people are still not able to socially gather. Concert venues, or sporting events, could still host their shows, but instead have their audiences enjoy their entainment through virtual headsets.

 

If developers are able to eventually reach a point, where virtual reality is able to almost identically give you the same experience of attending a concert, or sporting event, in person, this could have devastating effects for the business models of concerts, or sporting events. People might find that it’d be cheaper to attend a virtual concert, then spend money on transportation to attend a concert in person. Additionally, people might also find that it’d be safer to enjoy a concert from the comfort of your home, than out in a concert venue space that you don’t know as well. I, personally, would be open to going to see concerts through a virtual reality headset. I believe that if the experience would be the same as seeing the concert in person, then I’d much rather enjoy the concert from the comfort of my home. Much remains to be seen the effect that virtual reality could have on these industries, but if the corona virus continues to stick around, virtual reality will only continue to become more popular. 

 

https://medium.com/digital-literacy-for-decision-makers-columbia-b/virtual-reality-the-new-band-aid-for-live-events-aa1f42f1f574

Will There Be Less Tech Start-ups with the growth of Covid-19?

With the continued growth of the CoronaVirus throughout the world, the US stock market has seen sharp declines from its peak numbers earlier this year. This illustrates the effect that covid-19 has had on the american economy, and on business as a whole. Many businesses, considered “non-essential,” have been ordered by the US government to shut their doors to customers for the time being. This has had a negative effect on businesses’ profits, particularly for small-businesses. The Wall Street Journal reported that “small-business transaction data collected by software and business-services provider Womply shows that in the week ended March 25, sales at bars and lounges were down 52% from a year earlier, restaurant sales were down 59%, and at hotels and other lodging places, revenue was down 78%” (Wall Street Journal). This illustrates the struggles that small businesses have been facing since the decision for the public to social distance came into effect in March. Drops in revenue for many companies will begin to force them to make difficult economic decisions in the months ahead

 

This relates back to class when we were talking about new small businesses and startups in the tech industry. With many small businesses closing their doors, I predict we will see a decline in the number of start-ups popping up around the tech industry. There is no good economical reason to start a company right now when many people are out of work, and only looking to spend money sparingly. New small businesses, and start-ups, should wait until the virus scare is over, and the US economy is back on track, to begin their business operations. Many small businesses fail within their first couple of years, so they should wait until the US economy is in a more stable position. 

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-businesses-survive-until-it-is-business-as-usual-11585592403