Hack wanted.

OK, a little exersice in thinking outside the box, or boxes in this case. :)

Inside a large wharehouse is a self-contained Level 5 viral quarantine room of plexiglass, it has one entrance, likewise sealed and locked, the only codes were know by the two men inside the room, who are now dead from the virus that has been released from a broken vial also on the floor of the room. Along with the various equipment inside the room is a smaller plexiglass box, also with a level 5 seal and locked with the same codes as the room, with two uninfected mice and enough air for the mice to survive approximately 48 hours.

Your task: retrieve the mice safely without infecting anyone or the mice, AND without destroying the virus.

Note: the virus can survive in a vacuum.

Questions may be asked.

Ready, steady...hack.

Comments

[Hot Rod]

How much bigger is the warehouse compared to the level 5 room?

[Hot Rod]

Where is the smaller box in the room? On a table? on the floor? dead middle of a room of what dimensions?

[MathJames]

It's a large warehouse, say airplane hanger sized.

The box is on a table roughly in the middle of the room. It is approximately 18"x12" and 12" high.

[MathJames]

Sorry, misread the question. The box is 18x12x12 The room is about 20'x20' and normal room height - app. 10'.

[Hot Rod]

plexiglass welded joints on the box or fastened together with screws and such?

[MathJames]

Welded.

[Hot Rod]

Let me guess...its a nonmetal table right?

[MathJames]

Actually it is metal, however it is stainless steel which is non-magnetic.

[Hot Rod]

Actually, there are some series of stainless that are magnetic...but i get the jest

[Hot Rod]

400 series is 300 series isnt

[MathJames]

Wow, you got me there. :)

It's made of which ever is less reactive to chemicals in general. Think surgical grade. So, you tell me which is it?

[Hot Rod]

Probably 300... cheaper, softer if i remember right
1.Can plexiglass be heated and formed while still retaining its containment properties? 2.What tools/spplies do I have to work with?

[MathJames]

1. no, not to my knowledge.

2. They are pretty important mice so pretty much anything within reason that can be transported within 48 hrs. If you needed a BMW - OK. If you needed a formula one race car - no. Grey areas wil depend on the ingenuity of the solution.

[Hot Rod]

i am gonna need several sheets of plexiglass(4'X8') same type and thickness as the room, couple gallons of Acetone, and a biocontainment suit

1. construct a plexiglass room around yourself with one wall in common with the virus room. Use the Acetone to weld the Plexiglass together Sealing yourself into that room. Put on containment suit, Cut open the shared wall with cordless power tools, get box, weld side of box to outside wall with Acetone, have another person cut into wall at box location, mice saved.

[tom]

What kills the virus?

I'm assuming extremely high temps above (x).

Anything else?

[MathJames]

Hot Rod: Virus is airborne and is released when you cut open your added on room.

tom: Unknown exactly, it is a highly resistant strain. Most extremes will kill it though, toxic chemicals, heat, cold, radiation, etc.

[tom]

OK, easy enough.

If this thing doesn't have an airlock chamber that flushes with virus-killing chemicals, build one. (I would assume this would already exist, else this is an extremely dangerous room.)

The airlock doesn't have to be very complicated. Just an airtight, chemical-resistant box with two doors, one on either side. One of the sides of this box bonds airtight with the room. This box has apparatus that allows it to flush completely with toxic chemicals that will kill the virus.

To save the virus:

1. Send in a robot (or a some dudes in checmical-resistant spacesuits) with a chemical-resistant, airtight coffin, into the airlock. Close airlock door behind you. (This robot or the two dudes will need a tool that can break down the door.)

2. Open airlock door into sealed room. Break down door into room.

3. Enter room. Put a virus-carrying dead human in the coffin. Seal the coffin. Move coffin to airlock.

4. Take mouse box. Move mouse box to airlock.

5. Close airlock door. Flush airlock.

6. Exit airlock into normal world. DO NOT OPEN COFFIN.

[MathJames]

tom: the key then is the flushablity of the add-on room. Your right, easy enough, so how would you proceed if instead of 48 hrs. you only had 1 (or at least not enough time to build a flushable airlock)?

[Hot Rod]

I never said anything about getting out. The mice are saved. Nothing in the situation about me surviving

[tom]

OK, do I have time to make a non-flushable airlock?

[MathJames]

Yes.

Sorry for the delay.

[llogg]

Create one airtight seal with a rubber diaphragm in the wall of the room. Take a syringe at negative pressure and stab the needle through the diaphragm. The negative pressure in the syringe sucks up some virus particles. Store syringe someplace safe, say a different room identical to this one a thousand miles a way. Next attach large bore needle to positive pressure pump with airtight tubing. With pump running, stab large bore needle through diaphragm and pump room full of toxic chemical. Limitations of diameter of needle make this a tedious process, but should be fast enough to fill room and kill virus within 48 hours. If not fast enough may need multiple diaphragms sealed into walls of room. Once virus is dead knock down the walls and get the fucking mice.
The tricky part is introducing the diaphragm into the wall and the technique used to pierce it. If the diaphragm is mounted on a seal that leaves a little space between diaphragm and wall, you could inject acetone first to dissolve the wall behind the diaphragm before withdrawing virus.
This whole idea is similar to how a lot of blood samples are taken in the hospital. Using a zigzag technique when piercing the diaphragm allows it to seal itself shut upon withdrawal.

[MathJames]

A self-sealing diaphram. I like it. I agree, the key would be introducing it into the wall. Tricky but probably not insurmountable. I hear by declare llogg the winner, the prize - one thousand bars of gold bullion to be paid upon the successful completion of the 'bonus hack'.

Bonus hack: inside Fort Knox is a pallet of one thousand bars of...

[Ojo Rojo]

I missed my chance but here's my solution anyway:

Large robotic arm enclosed in airtight plexiglass canister open on the end where the robotic arm extends. Weld canister to room. Use robotic arm to cut through wall of room. Reach robotic arm into room and grab box with mice in it and move it to wall of larger room so that walls of mouse box and larger room are flush with one another. Use robotic arm to weld mouse box wall to large room wall. Weld another airtight canister with sealed gloves over the area where the mouse box is. Use gloves to cut outer wall, apply virus killer to wall of mouse box, cut open mouse box to release mice, cut airtight canister away setting mice free.

[llogg]

Thanks for the props, but I have to admit I like Hot Rod's solution and Ojo's variation thereof. I think Ojo's addition of the second sealed addition to the room with the gloves and application of the viral killer to the mouse box is stellar, but the simplicity of sacrificing one dude in a hazmat suit IMO wins over constructing a robotic arm.