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Blue Orange Wave: Out-of-the-box-thinking during global COVID-19 pandemic

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Blue Orange Wave: Out-of-the-box-thinking during global COVID-19 pandemic.

June 3, 2020. The entire world seemed to have stopped turning due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. What historically should have been a great period in our field of business stopped from one day to another! The first reports arrived of massive infections, daily counts of mortal victims, intelligent lockdown on SMEs and governmental orders to work from home. The only growth reported was the capacity of ICUs and Corona divisions in the national hospitals. With this enormous wave of infections there was an enormous high demand on personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals globally which colored the horizon for safe and certified deliveries to the Dutch national hospitals dark grey to totally black.

PPE Shortage

Especially this last part, the shortage of PPE and therefore the great number of infections among these first line healthcare workers, was what made Tim Lodder, founder and CEO of Blue Orange Wave, and Marc Derks, sr. project manager at Damen Shipyards Group, creative in looking for an out-of-the-box solution for this challenge to be found in the industrial and consumer markets. The start was made with what now, 10 weeks after, is the Air-Wave.org Protector™.

Together with colleagues from the maritime industry, Lodder managed to mobilize his professional networks  to deploy knowledge and expertise in workplace safety, healthcare regulatory and product development capabilities. The continious growing team of experts started brainstorming on a solution that had to be comfortable, sustainable, (fail) safe and national-of-the-shelf, since there was no time to waste!

Private-Public Collaboration

They decided to connect a PAPR (Powered Air Purifying Respirator) with P3 filter set, used in the welding and maritime industry, to a widely available snorkelmask using a 3D-printed coupling to create a positive pressure mask with filtered air. From the first prototype with a coupling created from a piece of bicycle tire it took the team of 40 devoted volunteers six days to deliver a market ready product covering all set requirements. Finally, the project united in the not-for-profit Air-Wave.org Foundation facilitated by  a total of 35 companies in maritme and healthcare, consumer products to supply chain and logistics from the national Dutch industries, tech-universities and a group of medical specialists and experts.

The Air-Wave.org Protector

The product was ready within six days, the national Dutch coordination center for supply of equipment to the Dutch national hospitals was not due to their daily challenges. The Air-Wave.org team continued in several areas with their lobby and improvements. They continued improving the market ready solution to raise the standard. Testing procedures were developed to expand with full shift comfort tests which gave a better inside to usability and more important durability. There was time to innovate and improve!

Finally afer three weeks of testing with a clear focus on safety for the healthcare professional, bystander and patient, the comfort and durability increase immensely. The team registered and patented a set of 3D-printed connector pieces which will be added to the standard snorkelmask without damaging the existing mask. The most innovative improvement is located in the Seahorse, the connection piece between the snorkelmask and tube from the PAPR. This connection piece now includes a pressure valve based on filter resistance to control the positive pressure in the mask and provides a comfortable but safe use. The Trumpet, the 3D-printed connection piece on the chin of the mask, includes an expansion filter to lower the sound caused by the outflowing air and the filter protects bystanders and patients. Fact is that all in- and outgoing airflows will be filtered based on a P2+ filter efficiency .

CE Marking and future development

Currently the Air-Wave.org Protector is used by healthcare professionals in several hospitals in the Netherlands and by individuals from Belgium and the USA. Luckily, now the crisis situation has died down, we as a society have to be very vigilent about future developments on infections globally and eventually be prepared for a possible second wave. Current days with less receiving requests from other hospitals in the Netherlands and abroad the team is still very energized to help and prepare for the future. Several track are moving forward; The Ministry of Healthcare is involved as well as the Notified Body to certify this solution for the European CE marking and make it widely available within Europe. On another track the team prepares the Air-Wave.org Protector to be available globally by connecting networks of 3D printing capacity, supply chain and logistics.

Test results, dressing and cleaning protocols, assembly details and order forms can be found on the Foundation’s website https://www.air-wave.org. The Air-Wave.org Protector is ready for global use as Tim mentioned.

We at Blue Orange Wave are very proud to demostrate that with a common goal and full dedication of a great team, you really can make a difference with little out-of-the-box thinking.

Our team will always do the utmost to deliver the best solutions possible and go beyond for safety and sustainability to enhance the quality of maritime training.

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How a re-fitted snorkel mask can save lives: The “COVID Lifesaver Mask” and the “Air-Wave Protector”

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PRESS RELEASE 26 March 2020

There is a worldwide shortage of personal protective materials for healthcare professionals due tothe COVID-19 pandemic. Two new reusable face masks for medical staff who are caring for and treating COVID-19 patients have been developed in the Netherlands by teams of anaesthesiologists, universities and a consortium of companies, all supporting on a notfor-profit basis. These designs may help solve the global shortage of face masks and improve safety for healthcare professionals, especially during intubation and intensive care procedures where the risk of infection is highest. Both masks use a unique 3D printed connector to link a popular snorkel mask to a filter system. The COVID Lifesaver Mask uses a high-performance filter used in anaesthetic equipment to create a low-cost, easy to use system for short duration use. The Air-Wave Protector solution uses an industrial fan & filter unit to create a personal protection unit for use of longer duration.

COVID Lifesaver Mask

Combining a popular full-face snorkel mask with a high-performance filter used in anaesthetic equipment and ventilators made it possible to develop a reusable face mask for healthcare workers that is safer than the commonly used FFP2 mask. The anaesthetic filter used has already been validated to have a capacity to block 99,999% of viruses and bacteria. This prototype has undergone clinical testing to rule out carbon dioxide intoxication. Futher testing is ongoing.

Air-Wave Protector

The Air-Wave Protector is a combination of the same snorkel mask connected with a custom 3D printed connector to a medical-grade filter and an air pump used in the welding industry for personal protection. The air pump creates a positive pressure in the mask, potentially reducing air leakage and promoting the ease of breathing. Preliminary testing indicates that the solution provides better protection than the commonly used FFP2 masks.

Safety and comfort

A team of healthcare professionals tested the snorkel mask used in both solutions and found it to work well. Glasses can be worn and the mask allows for communication with patients and co-workers. The reusable mask can be decontaminated using readily available cleaning methods.

Availability

The designs of the solutions are “open-source” which means they can be freely copied and used to support healthcare professionals worldwide. The design of the 3D-printed connectors created by the TU Delft will be available through “thingiverse.com”, a global website to share 3D print designs. While some aspects of the solutions are still in development and testing continues, the groups have decided to share their designs and progress widely. Royal Dutch Shell has already started printing COVID Lifesaver connectors in its Technology Center in Amsterdam and offered its full cooperation to contribute to the solutions that are being developed.

How it started

The history of the COVID Lifesafer Mask and Air-Wave Protector is a unique story of ingenuity and collaboration in times of crisis. The not-for-profit initiative has brought together different groups (anaesthesiologists, universities, companies and volunteers) who had similar ideas to help healthcare professionals battle COVID-19. With amazing passion, they have come together to develop solutions in a short period of time.

Collaboration

The “COVID Lifesaver Mask” and “Air-Wave Protector” are being developed by a support network, consisting of

● A independent group of anaesthesiologists working in Haaglanden Medisch Centrum (HMC), The Netherlands

● Delft University of Technology

● Royal Dutch Shell

● Air-wave.org, a not-for-profit group initiated by Damen Shipyards, Blue Orange Wave, Redgrasp and VFA Solutions with support of a large international group of specialists and innovative companies.

FURTHER INFORMATION COVID

Lifesaver Mask: www.COVIDlifesavermask.com

Air-Wave Protector: www.air-wave.org

The 3D-printed connector 3D print design can be found on the respective websites.

Medical spokesperson COVID Lifesaver Mask: Sara Galli, MD, anaesthesiologist covidlifesaver@gmail.com

Technical spokesperson COVID Lifesaver Mask: Nino Van der Wilk, MD, anaesthesiologist covidlifesaver@gmail.com

Medical spokesperson Air-Wave Protector: Menno Vergeer, MD, PhD air.wave.org@gmail.com Technical spokesperson

Air-Wave Protector: Tim Lodder, AFNI air.wave.org@gmail.com

Media for download Photos, images and videos about the solutions can be found on the respective websites.

Blue Orange Wave boards a new Team!

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Blue Orange Wave celebrated its second birthday on the 9th of January! As it marked a next step to maturity, we are happy to share this great moment with you.

First development

During the first two years Blue Orange Wave focused mainly on market position, brand awareness, product portfolio and market proposition. For this matter we hired a true marketing and branding specialist with an extended experience in the maritime simulation domain. She helped us to grow our name, brand and marketing strategy. This temporary position recently changed to a more fixed position and we are happy to inform you Blue Orange Wave’s new Marketing Manager Cisca Versteeg.

Cisca was raised in a seagoing family with a father as a Chief Engineer and brother as Deck Officer. Her trilingual education in Dutch, English and Spanish brought her to Mexico City in 2008 where she is located ever since. She gained experience in (online) marketing while she worked for a market leading software provider. Not long ago she chooses for a career serving more companies at the same time as she embraces diversity in her field of expertise which she finds partly at Blue Orange Wave.

Future focus

In 2020 Blue Orange Wave will continue its focus on a further and more in-depth development of its product portfolio into existing education and training programs. This includes sharing more in-depth knowledge on application and implementation of video – and virtual reality tools into existing education and training in the maritime safety and security domain. It creates an opportunity to be able to run efficient and interesting courses mainly based on existing content which is immersive and tempting for the current – and new generation of crew and officers working onboard vessels or platforms.

To be able to assist existing and new customers with the changing training markets and fast development of innovative solutions Blue Orange Wave extended with a Learning and Development Specialist. During the application process there was one person who clearly blinked out with experience at sea, training market knowledge and simulation operations. We are very pleased to announce that Bouke Bergsma joined our team in this role as we trust that his experience, teamwork, down-to-earth-mentality and pragmatic attitude will help us to further expand our company in the direction as previously.

“It is my strength to bring together the fundamental factors such as technology, expertise and objectives. Only when the right elements are brought together you will get the best results. Let technology support us in our development, but don’t let it become a goal on itself”, says Bouke.

Customer success

As most people know, it is an unpleasant fact that with growth, companies tend to lose sight on their precious existing customers. To avoid this occurring within our company we expanded our team with a Customer Success Manager. As well as with Bouke we are very pleased to announce that another former seafarer has joined our team. Hein Schaap has assumed this important role. Hein gained experience in the maritime industry from a very young age as being raised in a family of fishermen and coastal trade. His dedication to the sea stayed and after finalizing his nautical education at the Maritime Academy of Terschelling he joined the ships of Holland America Line for a period of nearly six years. To move closer to home Hein moved his career towards the ferries in the Irish Sea where he worked for P&O Ferries for a period of four years, before moving to the training to become a Pilot with the Dutch Pilot Association. His final dream to become a Pilot shattered because of a serious incident during a ship-tender transfer.

Hein says, “After a break I decided to move on and go for something totally new! Blue Orange Wave hooked me on with the possibilities and options the company provides. As well as for me personal as well as for our customers. In this role as the company’s Customer Success Manager I look forward to expand and improve the current company set-up and help our customers to grow in their use of the new training tool(s) they implemented. It is my goal to stand for our customers and make their success my challenge!”

“Working with these true professionals it will be a great continuation of a journey which I started two years ago. It is my strong believe that Blue Orange Wave is ready for this next step to increase the service to our respected customers and grow towards new innovators! Our team spirit, experience, diversity and common goal to have fun in what we do will drive us to smile continuously. It is end of standby and now full ahead!”, says Tim Lodder, Managing Director of Blue Orange Wave.