New made-in-Canada “IsoBooth” can get kids back in the classroom

The IsoBooth in a classroom setting. Photo Credit: Imagine Fibreglass Products

As Canada deals with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, students and teachers are preparing to face a very different school year come September – and a new device manufactured by a product designer based in Kitchener, Ont. might just help ease the transition.

Called the IsoBooth Student, the patent pending device created by Imagine Fibreglass Products is designed to allow students to return to school safely without the distraction and discomfort of wearing a mask most of the day.

The unit consists of a lightweight canopy and a compact, energy-efficient blower system that attaches to a standard school chair to protect kids in the classroom against aerosol and airborne viruses such as COVID-19. A push-pull air curtain in front captures and rejects airborne droplets and aerosols, while the positive-pressure breathing zone inside is protected and filled with HEPA-filtered air.

The device can easily be pulled up to the desk by a student, company officials said, and the canopy can be adjusted forward to accommodate students as they lean down to write at their desk. With the open front, a student can easily move their chair, get in or out, and move the positionable hood to its most effective and comfortable position.

Made from polycarbonate, the IsoBooth is also said to be easy to clean, and consumes less than 80 watts of power per seat daily.

A similar but larger version, called the IsoBooth Office, is available for teachers, the company said; it easily mounts to any standard five-spoke base office chair or stool, and has all the same features and benefits of the IsoBooth Student.

Imagine Fiberglass Products designs, develops, and fabricates a range of fibre reinforced plastic and composite tooling, parts and products.