Chinese architect Sun Dayong has designed a conceptual coronavirus shield called ‘Be a Bat Man’ that surrounds wearers in a PVC bubble, which is stretched between carbon fibre frames like bat wing membrane. Erica Jamieson reports
From Production Club’s Micrashell suit to Vollebak’s anti-viral Full Metal Jacket, Globetrender has reported on a number of innovative forms of PPE that could protect travellers when on the road, but this concept from China Sun Dayong is the weirdest.
Worn as a backpack, the shield surrounds wearers in a PVC bubble, which is stretched between carbon fibre frames like bat wing membrane.
“The design follows the bionic design principle, taking bats as the prototype. When we were little, we all dreamed to be a Batman, a hero who fights evil and save the world. Perhaps that dream is coming true today,” Dayong wrote in an Instagram post, which he co-founded.
At this stage, Be a Bat Man remains a conceptual design. Dayong, who is co-founder of Penda architectural studio, needs a financial backer, and has even offered his design services free of change. More importantly, he admits that considerable engineering must be done to bring his design to life.
Meanwhile, architecture critic Kate Wagner has accused Dayong’s Be a Bat Man of “Coronagrifting”, creating mockups of Covid-related design solutions that are intended more for their PR and social media presence, than actual utility.