ETH researchers develop inexpensive ventilator

Professor Kristina Shea from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) is working on the development of a new ventilator by the name of ‘breathe’ together with her colleagues. It has been primarily designed for use in emergency situations when no other options are available, as explained by ETH in a press release.

The research group has already completed a second prototype and carried out technical testing on it. The main component of the new ventilator is a bag valve mask that is typically used by patients in emergency care. This is mounted in a motor housing. One advantage of the device is that it can be manufactured particularly inexpensively. Moreover, according to information in the press release, it is highly intuitive, with healthcare workers able to learn how to use the new ventilator within the space of just half an hour.

The researchers are already conducting negotiations with a production partner based in the Ukraine that has expressed an interest in scaling up production of the ventilator to an industrial scale. “We can’t manufacture the product ourselves at ETH. But if we can find industry partners that are keen to produce this kind of machine, then we will do everything we can to support them”, comments Kristina Shea.

With the ‘breathe’ ventilator, Shea and her colleagues are building upon a basic concept developed by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They selected this as the basis from a total of 40 open-source plans. The research team from Zurich will also be making their ventilator design available for free once the development process has been completed.