COVID-19: Organized needs and potential solutions for.
currently the general information page is at [https://sites.google.com/view/cranec/home]
how github is set up:
Items that need to be handled are saved as "issues", each issue can have multiple labels. you can comment on an existing issue and attach data files, images.
"labels" relate to technology, priority, subject matter and degree of clarity of the need.
Each issue has an assignee. Failing that, there may be a contact person in the comments. Absent such a contact, use "cranec-project" or volunteer yourself!
"Projects" will be used to organize groups of issues
The use of the "wiki" is not finalized yet, feel free.
The "code" section will include basic introductory data files (like this one)
Feel free to email to cranec.project@gmail.com
brief synopsis: The problem: We sincerely hope that quarantine methods will stop the spread of disease and that both treatment and vaccination development efforts will give results fast.
There appear to be a significant number of patients who recover providing they receive adequate care. The exponential spread of the disease, can quickly overwhelm the ability of local healthcare systems to provide this adequate care. Also, healthcare workers are disproportionately affected and seriously overworked.
In Israel, this may happen within 3-6 weeks.
The overall goals: We would like to delay or prevent the overwhelm from happening by marrying talented bio-medical engineers and medical teams at the front line.
A secondary goal is to develop solutions which, while not suitable for a working healthcare system, may be acceptable under conditions of healthcare collapse.
Why is it not trivial? Medical teams are already seriously overworked, so the needs and problems are not well exposed to potential solution providers.
The needs are continuously changing.
There is a very short time frame.
Solution providers need feedback and, as noted, the medical team is overworked.
Proposed solution: A small project management group which takes upon itself to do the following main tasks:
Extract the needs from the medical teams, by unobtrusive observation and by discussion. The group will also write up their finding and build a personal rapport with relevant medical team members.
The needs will be published, as well as identity of people working on solutions, with some short excerpt of the solution direction and results so far.
Engineers, companies and others with solutions will be able to access these published needs and propose solutions. The solutions will be evaluated by the group and selected ones will be discussed with the medical team.
The solution providers will receive the feedback and work on actual solutions to be tested. the management group will not be executing ideas coming from outside the group.
The group will help oversee testing of ideas and proof of defectiveness.
Time scale: Very short. within 7 days form starting the first ideas should already have feedback from the medical teams.
Rapid prototyping methods must be used and a cycle time of less than 2 days per prototype is envisioned.