Flying during COVID-19: How a 3D-printed device could shield travellers on board airplanes

Move over, face masks. A Seattle-based company has invented a new technology to literally shield travellers from the coronavirus as they board airplanes, a first-of-its-kind move since the pandemic began. 

The technology, called ‘AirShield,’ is a 3D-printed device fitted to cabin ventilation nozzles that will direct breath droplets downwards by “engineering blades of air.” 

Industrial design company Teague describes the innovation on its website as an “invisible germ isolation unit around each passenger.” 

“When a passenger breathes, coughs, or even sneezes, the water vapor is contained within that passenger space and is immediately redirected downwards and out of the cabin to the HEPA filtration units before it has the opportunity to enter the personal space of a neighboring passenger,” they write. 

The created airflow acts as a “barrier around each seat” by disrupting the usual circulation of air, Teague explains, likening the technology to the “warm curtain of air” that customers experience when walking into a retail store during winter. 

The product is still in the early stages of development, the company says, but the simplicity of its design means it could be fitted overnight by airlines, allowing them to be quickly ready for travel during the pandemic. 

Airlines are already a relatively safe way to travel, Teague argues on its site, thanks to the implementation of strict sanitation measures. However, when passengers board the plane and “interact with the environment, the ability to control the sanitation diminishes rapidly,” they say.

Many airlines now require passengers to wear masks while on board planes, but the use of the masks depends on passenger buy-in, and can fluctuate depending on whether they need to eat or drink.

Teague argues that controlling the air flow could have a  significant impact on minimizing COVID-19 spread in airplanes.

“ Unlike physical surfaces, the flow of air is the one thing a passenger can’t truly control, so it breeds anxiety for many who don’t know if they are sitting in the proximity of someone who is contagious,” they say.