They say that necessity is the mother of invention—and nowhere does this ring truer than in the healthcare sector’s push to develop medical equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest hospital making headlines for its innovation: Seattle Children’s.

The hospital was concerned that its stock of Controlled Air Purifying Respirator (CAPR) helmets was showing signs of wear and tear, especially as it related to small plastic clips that secure the face shield onto the helmet. As part of the hospital’s personal protective equipment, the helmets are critical for providers giving care to infectious patients.

Seth Friedman, Seattle Children’s manager of Innovation Imaging & Simulation Modeling, was able to model the clips that had been breaking. He reverse-engineered them by doing what he would do if creating a 3D model for a patient’s surgery—he used a CT scanner.

Read the full article on GeekWire.

Featured image: CT scan images of the CAPR parts. (Seattle Children’s Photo)