It was clear early on in the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic that a critical need in the coming weeks and months would be for ventilators, the potentially life-saving devices that keep air flowing into a patient whose ability to breathe is failing.
It was clear early on in the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic that a critical need in the coming weeks and months would be for ventilators, the potentially life-saving devices that keep air flowing into a patient whose ability to breathe is failing.
Seeing a potential shortfall of hundreds of thousands of such units, professor of mechanical engineering Alex Slocum Sr. and other engineers at MIT swung into action, rapidly pulling together a team of volunteers with expertise in mechanical design, electronics, and controls, and a team of doctors with clinical experience in treating respiratory conditions. They started working together nonstop to develop an inexpensive alternative and share what they learned along the way. The goal was a design that could be produced quickly enough, potentially worldwide, to make a real difference in the immediate crisis.
In a very short time, they succeeded.
Just four weeks since the team convened, production of the first devices based directly on its work has begun in New York City. A group including 10XBeta, Boyce Technologies, and Newlab has begun production of a version called Spiro Wave, in close collaboration with the MIT team. The consortium expects to quickly deliver hundreds of units to meet the immediate needs of hospitals in New York and, eventually, other hospitals around the country.
Read more at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Image: The latest version of the MIT E-Vent team's emergency ventilator design undergoes testing in their lab. Courtesy of MIT E-Vent Team
