Big Tech Joins the Coronavirus Fight

Apple and Tesla are mobilizing their industrial muscle for hospitals around the world, joining a number of American companies to provide needed medical equipment to the men and women on the front lines of the pandemic. 

Apple and Tesla are releasing new products to the world, but don’t expect a sleek new phone or a status symbol on wheels. The Wall Street juggernauts are throwing their innovative power and robust supply chains into medical equipment.

These scare products will help hospital staff stay safe as they combat the pandemic. The companies are demonstrating the same ingenuity in designing these life-saving products that go into their flagship devices and vehicles. Most impressively, they’re doing it for free.

Apple’s New Product Line: Shields, Not Screens 

In a break from its usual array of pricey cell phones, sleek tablets and high-end laptops, Apple is entering the medical device game with an unusually simple product and surprising price point.

Apple has rolled out its new face shields, which the company will donate to hospitals around the country. The firm has already begun sending them to hospitals in California, and it plans to ship 1 million masks both this week and next week to high-need states.

The company designed the masks, whose simple plastic design enables an ergonomic fit and inexpensive production.

According to Tim Cook, the campaign represents “a company-wide effort bringing together product designers, engineering, operations, packaging teams, and our suppliers to design, produce and ship face shields for health workers.”

Tesla Innovates with Ventilators

Tesla is even using Model 3's infotainment system in the ventilators.#Tesla #Teslaventilators #Ventilators #Healthcare #Coronavirushttps://t.co/GzfDLdCg1d

— Times Drive (@TNTimesDrive) April 6, 2020

Tesla’s legendary team of engineers has unveiled new ventilators, 2/3 of which are made from repurposed Tesla car parts.

The ventilators will be donated to US hospitals in short supply. The genius of the product is its retooling of Tesla car parts, allowing the company to save a great deal of money and utilize existing supplies to provide the FDA-approved products.

The unique ventilator is receiving approval from the most important demographic: the medical professionals who will use them. A nurse with over 20 years’ experience recently reviewed Tesla’s prototype, explaining the function of the machine and why Tesla has nailed the design.

Other Big Names Join the Fight

Other companies are joining the national effort to keep Americans safe, and to support the medical professionals on the front lines. Ford and GM, in response to President Trump’s invocation of the Defense Production Act, will be manufacturing thousands of ventilators and other equipment.

Ford announced that it will make 50,000 ventilators in 100 days. The federal government will pay GM alone nearly $500 million to produce 30,000 ventilators.

The Defense Production Act authorizes the president to mobilize private industry to deal with issues of national security. President Trump, initially reluctant to wield the tool, has deployed it a great deal in recent weeks in response to supply shortages and uncooperative companies.

The DPA is a major asset to the US to ensure a steady production of crucial equipment such as respirators, face shields, and ventilators. Many companies, which would otherwise be idling amid low demand and disrupted supply chains, are now firing back up to create these pivotal products.