Google made an 'Ebola-proof' tablet to help combat high-risk diseases

To help the brave men and women who are continuously fighting against Ebola in Sierra Leone, Google has created an ‘Ebola-proof’ tablet for collecting patient data. The tablet, which is based off of a Sony Xperia tablet, features an extra layer of protection that will allow workers to soak the tablet in chlorine for decontamination. The tablet’s sharp edges have been removed to prevent piercing the doctors’ protective clothing, and can be charged wirelessly to minimize openings on the tablet.

Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, requested Google make a tablet that could withstand storms and high humidity that are usually found in the Ebola zone (West Africa). Doctors fighting against the virus, until now, have struggled to transfer patient data between one another. In fact, a Médecins Sans Frontières doctor was forced to shout patient details over a fence from inside the protective zone where medics need to be fully covered to avoid catching the disease. Even passing a pen and paper through the protective zone could transfer the disease, so it’s obvious that this new tablet will undoubtedly come in handy.

So far, the tablet is only being used in Sierra Leone, but it could easily be used in regions of the world where other deadly diseases lie. Google is working with Médecins Sans Frontières to open source the project, which will make it much easier for the tablet to come in handy elsewhere.