Oregon nonprofit creates low-cost ventilator
ORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon nonprofit group has created a low-cost ventilator that may help in any future shortages of the lifesaving machines.
"I think that it can substitute for a ventilator in the case of an emergency," said Dr. Saurabh Gupta, a cardiologist who worked on the project. "I would not go as far as to say this would be a total substitute for a modern ventilator, which absolutely should be the frontline, if available. But this can help in a shortage."
A group of more than 180 engineers, medical professionals, and other volunteers have been working on the ventilator for weeks. The group, LifeMech, is the nonprofit created to support the endeavor.
"The goal, initially, was to make this ventilator of last resort," said Jason Hilbourne, with Utensile in Portland. "Something very quick to mass produce and very cheap to mass produce."
The acute need for ventilators in America has passed, at least temporarily. But in the event the pandemic becomes worse over the coming months and years, those who worked on the project say this ventilator could help.
"I still do hope the world never needs this, but if it does, I think we will all be better prepared," said Lakshman Krishnamurthy, an engineer who helped with the project.
Those behind the ventilator have chosen to make the technology open to everyone across the world. It's open-source so agencies, governments, and people can assemble it themselves with widely available materials.
