Communications of the ACM
Open Source Ventilator Projects: Status and Challenges
Building a low-cost Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) with filter adapter and mask that protects a caregiver may save more lives than a mediocre ventilator for one patient.
Credit: Github
At this moment, thousands of intelligent, diligent, well-meaning engineers are trying to help the design of open source ventilators to address a possibly imminent life-threatening shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This wealth of creative technical energy is currently disorganized, scattered, and unfocused.
Right now there are four projects better defined than others:
- Low-Cost Open Source Ventilator is buildable, pressure tested, and active. This project and its creator, Johnny Lee, should be given all the money and volunteer assistance it needs.
- The Rice OEDK ApolloBVM Design is buildable and pressure tested, but not active.
- Open Source Ventilator - OpenLung BVM Ventilator is a well-organized, active, fully open project, but as of this writing not buildable.
- The Protofy Team OxyGEN project is buildable and active but not pressure tested.
The situation may change quickly, but right now these four projects are the only projects that are even minimally actionable.
A list of COVID-19 ventilator projects, both open and closed, and resources are available at www.endcoronavirus.org/.
From Hacker Noon
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