The protective capsule from the Berlin start-up aims to protect relatives and patients alike from infection – and make visits possible again.
The images from Bergamo at the start of the coronavirus crisis left Moritz Eichhorn stunned. As many people were unable to say goodbye to their loved ones before they died, he came up with the idea for Moby: a wheelchair with a glass cover over it that does not let viruses in or out, thus protecting occupants and outsiders from infection.
“We start where today’s personal protective equipment ends,” says Eichhorn. Visitors to Moby should be able to see, hear and touch infectious patients more easily than in a protective suit. And patients with weakened immune systems – after chemotherapy or stem cell transplants, for example – can receive visitors safely in the Moby and are more mobile. “We want to noticeably improve medical isolation, whether inpatient or outpatient, beyond the coronavirus pandemic,” says Eichhorn.