COVID-19 Ventilator Open Source Project

Thank you for your interest in the COVID-19 Ventilator Project

Ways to help:

• Donate to our GoFundMe
• Donate your time or resources; please sign up to HELP

Additional Information:

In the coming months, projections suggest the US could have a shortfall of over 800,000 ventilators. What are we going to do about this shortfall in coming weeks? 

Here's the scary math...

• The US is projected to need over 1 million ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients 
• The US only has around 160,000 ventilators nationwide. 
• Currently US manufacturers produce just 14,000 ventilators per year. 
• Some ventilator manufacturers are ramping up production by 40%, so in a year they can produce 20,000 ventilators. 

Based on these eye opening statistics, there is simply no way for current manufacturers to even put a small dent in the number of ventilators required. We have all heard news of corporations like GM and Tesla planning to mass produce ventilators, but as an engineer, it just doesn't sound like enough to solve the problem at hand fast enough. Automakers are accustomed to working on multiple year long timelines, we currently have weeks, maybe a month before we run out of ventilators. 

The Solution

We are putting together a campaign, using a multi-disciplinary team of volunteers, to develop and produce ventilators for emergency use in hospitals. We need makers across the country and globe to manufacture any parts they can handle, and have the ventilators assembled and shipped to hospitals as needed. 

The Concept

Using readily available off the shelf parts, we will develop a device to automatically and smartly control a Bag Valve Mask (commonly referred to as an AMBU bag), which is essentially a human powered ventilator that will be converted to a reusable electric ventilator. 

By using a Bag Valve Mask, the patient is only in contact with a medically approved device that is also disposable. The Bag Valve Mask can then be replaced as needed for sanitary or wear reasons. 

Our design

• Uses existing hospital supplies to minimize parts required and reduce the risk of sanitary issues. 
• Has most of the primary functions of a typical ventilator
• Costs under $1000 in parts to manufacture.
• Full digital controls

What you can do? 

Share this! Spread the message as far as possible.

And eventually we will need..

• Anyone with ability and aptitude to assemble components repetitively.
• People with CNC machines, 3d printers, or other manufacturing ability.