Louisville company makes intubation boxes for health care workers combating COVID-19 outbreak

LOUSIVLLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville company forced to shut down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic is back in action. Instead of building custom museum exhibits and visitors centers, however, it is making medical supplies.

Solid Light, located on South 5th Street, usually makes things like interactive experiences and distillery tasting rooms that can be found all over the country.

But, with 95% of the company's employees either furloughed or working from home, Fabrication Manager Mike Marnell and two other employees are using their skills to make acrylic intubation boxes to protect medical workers from COVID-19.

The boxes protect medical workers from droplets when intubating a patient.

"The box itself keeps the virus contained," Marnell said. "So, when a patient coughs, it's not going all over the operating room. It's not going all over the emergency room. So, a doctor's mask is still good; a face shield is still good. All they change are their gloves, and they wash their hands and they move on to the next patient."

The box was designed by a doctor in Taiwan two weeks ago. He released the design to the world, and Solid Light built a prototype, made improvements and have shipped boxes to California, Oregon, Washington, Georgia and New York City.

Nearly 30 boxes have shipped so far, including one sent to the University of Louisville. Solid Light is selling them for about $120 dollars each, which Marnell said is the cost of the materials.