A multi-disciplinary team led by Citizen Care Pod Corporation, in collaboration with WZMH Architects, PCL Construction, Insight Enterprises and Microsoft, has worked together amidst the pandemic to launch a new COVID-19 smart screening and testing pod, refined from a version designed last month.
The Citizen Care Pod integrates intelligent technology within a modular design to support a safe, responsible recovery for governments, businesses, and communities.
The concept is a customizable unit outfitted with the capabilities to enable turnkey mobile COVID-19 testing in high-traffic business environments and communities. It aims to expedite testing, screening, and eventually vaccination on a mass scale.
Using modular construction methods, PCL Construction is manufacturing and assembling the pods by retrofitting 20-foot or 40-foot shipping containers to create modules equipped with four to 10 testing stations. A variety of customizable options are available. The process supports rapid delivery and installation to high-traffic or remote locations.
“At PCL, we anticipate challenges and are proactive in developing solutions that make construction safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. The Citizen Care Pod’s modular construction and integrated technology make it a sustainable, plug-and-play solution that can be rapidly deployed to support the safe reopening of our economy,” said Kelly Wallace, Vice President and District Manager, PCL Construction.
In partnership with a lab diagnostics provider, all customizable testing will be administered outside of the pod to address concerns about testing in confined spaces.
To enable safety and security in the physical testing environment, the Citizen Care Pod is equipped with a suite of intelligent, customizable technologies powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and Azure AI, including the Insight Connected Platform and PCL’s Job Site Insights Internet of Things hubs.
The customizable and portable structure is a ready-to-use solution for large-scale businesses, public works, sports and entertainment venues, airports, transit centres and more to support economic recovery.
The Citizen Care Pod can be customized to include additional intelligent technologies and design features, such as exterior cameras and speakers to measure distance between people and send audio reminders if safe distancing is not maintained. AI-enabled cameras can alert healthcare workers when proper face protection requirements are not being met, while security cameras inside the Pod can send alerts when the unit has reached capacity, and tablets enable real-time, non-contact communication between healthcare workers and patients.
The Citizen Care Pod also includes the option to add capabilities for testing and screening for flu season and other viral outbreaks, or delivering vaccines. It can be further augmented to address future public health needs.
Citizen Care Pods Corporation — co-founded by Carl Demarco (Chairman of Camillion Corp.) and Zenon Radewych (Partner at WZMH Architects) — is in negotiations with a national lab diagnostics company to deliver a reliable, convenient testing experience for Citizen Care Pod patients.
“Even though the benefits of the Citizen Care Pod are far-reaching, the design and construction process was uniquely local because we could only use local materials and parts. The story of the Citizen Care Pod is really a story of the entrepreneurial spirit during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Radewych.
Citizen Care Pod | Smart Screening & Testing Pod from Cicada Design Inc. on Vimeo.