Lucas di Grassi joined sustainability entrepreneur and F1 world champion Nico Rosberg over video call to discuss the current situation in Brazil and how Lucas is doing his part to help - including bringing his 3D-printing friend on-board to create thousands of protective face shields, and using ultraviolet light in a new and fascinating way.
In the midst of a pandemic, Lucas di Grassi is putting his entrepreneurial nous to use in helping struggling communities, unable to protect themselves from coronavirus, with a three-pronged attack to provide basic hygiene, protective equipment and an ingenius army of UV-emitting robots.
"The favelas, the slums in Brazil, are tightly packed," he said. "Half of them don’t have running water so they can’t wash their hands with soap and water. we're working three fronts on trying to help.
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"We have raised the equivalent of 150 average salaries which has been able to supply basic hygiene and protection. I have a friend who 3D-prints insoles for shoes. I called him and we found an open-source file for protective face masks and he’s putting his printers to use to create 1,000 a day.
"The third front is more high-tech. It’s using ultraviolet light to kill viruses and bacteria. A fine spectrum of UV kills viruses and it’s being employed in hospitals and by airlines for sanitation. It’s not new technology but it works and it’s never been used in public transport.
"This week, I bought the materials to get a pilot working in the subway in Brazil. It’s like a supermarket cart with lights and good mobility. It will be far quicker than the hours-long manual cleaning process for contact surfaces. We’ll lower the cost of the process and cover more ground."
Get the lowdown on Lucas' project in the video below.