IEEE Region 8 now counts 16 funded projects to fight COVID-19 all from the African continent

Immediate changes have been made to our life since COVID-19 was officially announced as an epidemic. Adaptations of distance working and education, increase of technology usage to simplify our routine and many more in order to protect us and everyone around us and help to limit the transmission of the virus.

IEEE itself got in the fight against COVID-19 , by not only offering free scientifical material to help in research, but also by having two of its humanitarian projects joining forces and funding projects to fight COVID-19. Members of IEEE Region 8 showed their interest and motivation, engaging this opportunity having 6 projects already been funded.

Now 10 more projects got funded, counting a total of 16 projects, all from the African continent of our Region.

 

IEEE South Africa 

  • Tool for COVID-19 Spread Prevention

This project will develop and produce a tool to be used by members of the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when common resources are accessed such as water points.

IEEE Tunisia Section

  • Multi-Patient Hyper-flow Oxygen Therapy System 

The objective of this project is to develop a removable and extendable system to allow a hyper-flow oxygen therapy for a group of patients at the same time, while being personalized to each patient. The system will be composed of several mobile and expandable panels, depending on the number of patients. All the panels will have the components necessary for the filtration, heating, and humidification of fluids (air and oxygen).

  • Intelligent System to limit the spread of COVID-19 based on analytical video surveillance

This project involves developing an system to analyze social distancing to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in public spaces while maintaining the number of people at the suggested security levels. The system will monitor occupancy levels in stores while controlling the traffic in and out the location, monitor crowd density, detect the safe use of face masks, and monitor real-time violation of security rules by triggering status indicators.

Stipulation: For this project, HAC funding is contingent upon the inclusion of the feedback from the project team’s Senior members on the handling of data, cybersecurity, and privacy with every bi-weekly project update.

IEEE Nigeria Section

  • COVID-19 Analytic Dashboard Platform (CaDP)

The project team will create a COVID-19 data analytic and trace map platform to: 

– Manage the information spread across the country on preventive measures that should be taken to curb the spread of the virus. 

– Disseminate the information to people in villages and rural communities 

– Share testing locations 

– Raise awareness about the Coronavirus epidemic 

  • IEEE COVID-19 Market Place Robot (CMPR) in Nigeria

This proposal presents an emergency solution to offer quick detection and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19 at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, a simple service robot that can rapidly scan and detect COVID-19 symptoms (e.g. temperature and blood oxygen level for fever and hypoxia) in real time. The accuracy of the system is determined using machine learning algorithms such as support vector machine (SVM) and random forest using mean error and absolute accuracy metrics.

  • Helping Hands COVID-19 Project for IDP Camps in the Northeast 

Jos Plateau in northeastern Nigeria, commonly known as ‘J-town,’ currently has many inhabitants living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps who are in need of personal protective equipment (PPE). The group of volunteers leading this project will train community leaders on locally manufacturing re-usable PPE within the camps to be donated to those living there.

  • Provision of Locally Made Hand Sanitizers & Radio Sensitization for Prevention of COVID-19 in Enugu

This project will produce and provide alcohol-based sanitizers to two rural communities, Umulumgbe and Amansiodo Imezi, both in Enugu State, Nigeria. Inhabitants in these communities have limited understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and what measures can be taken to prevent its spread. Others cannot afford to buy hand sanitizers and face masks. In addition to providing PPE, the group will also create informational content to be shared on the radio using local dialects.

IEEE Uganda Section

  • Adoption of a wireless vital sign monitor for COVID-19 case investigation and patient care

To fulfill the unmet need for vital sign monitoring (VSM) equipment in Uganda, IEEE Uganda Section SIGHT and Neopenda, PBC will work together to equip health facilities and quarantine centers with an affordable, wearable vital sign monitoring solution. This equipment is an essential component for COVID-19 case investigation and patient care. Volunteers will train health workers on how to use the technology and conduct summative usability testing to minimize any risks associated with human error while using the product.

  • Low Cost Foot Pedal Operated Hand Washing Station with Soap Dispenser for Vulnerable Communities

The project team will design and install low-cost, foot-operated hand washing systems with soap and water dispensers for the vulnerable communities in Uganda. The systems will be installed in universities where there are IEEE Student Branches. The systems will be made using locally available materials and will not require electricity, so they could also be installed and used in remote off-grid communities.

  • The Information Management and Tracking System for COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda (East Africa)

An online software designed to track and manage COVID-19 cases all over Uganda. This will include tracking and locating the isolation centers and contact tracing of people who interacted with COVID-19 patients within the country to help the Ministry of Health. The application will include features such as:

  • six commonly used local languages,
  • dashboard for health workers to monitor patients under self-quarantine
  • curfew time alert for users
  • news alerts and medical advice
  • helplines and emergency numbers of all the district COVID-19 task forces
  • updates on the virus patients
  • facilitation of requests for authorized government vehicles to transport pregnant women and others with medical emergencies
  • interactive chatbot using artificial intelligence (AI) to answer questions about COVID-19 or any other related concern
  • facilitation of donations to national task force

 

Wondering if more projects are in train to come? Then the answer is yes.

Stay tuned and we will soon update you.

Detailed information about all projects being funded can be found at COVID-19 Projects of IEEE HAC.