Shortage Of Ventilators Leads To The Creation Of An Open-Source Alternative

As hospitals in certain parts of the world are being overwhelmed due to the influx of patients with the coronavirus, they are starting to run out of medical supplies and equipment, such as ventilators, which are crucial in helping patients who are affected more severely to breathe.

To help solve this problem, a group of about 300 engineers, designers, and tech founders have come together on Facebook where they have created an open-source ventilator alternative, where the goal is that this device can be created using readily-available materials and through methods like 3D printing.

Instead of trying to keep their ideas private and exclusive, by making it open-source, it allowed members of the group to make various contributions which resulted in it being created in just seven days. It is expected to soon undergo testing by health authorities where it could potentially help ease the current situation.

According to the OSV cofounder Colin Keogh, “It doesn’t matter where you are, it doesn’t matter what your skillset is, what time zone you’re in, if you can contribute in a group to these large scale projects, you can have very high-impact results in a very short amount of time.” This is not the first time we’re seeing such efforts. Just the other day, volunteers used 3D printers to create respiratory valves to help ease the burden on hospitals who were running low on supplies.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Medical
Tags: 3D Printing, Coronavirus, covid-19, Health, Science