Pandemic Ventilator Project

Pandemic Ventilator Project is a company that is dedicated to solving problems related to COVID-19, mainly developing personal protective equipment. The project has been launched by a group of engineers with backgrounds in nuclear power, medical devices, and submarine life support, and was started in 2020.

The project was started when a doctor submitted a plan for a DIY (do it yourself) ventilator in hopes of helping her hospital deal with the potential threat of being overwhelmed by patients. In Spain, and especially Italy, hospitals ran out of ventilators, which lead to healthcare providers deciding who receives treatment and lives and who didn't. The project for a preventive use DIY ventilator is meant to be easy to build, affordable, and practical for developing countries.

The devices are meant to be worn by the person that needs protection from the infection rather than someone who has it, so as to avoid transmission of the virus. The ventilator is made from components such as computer fans, batteries, and HEPA filters to provide a continuous supply of fresh air to the mask. The fan speed is controlled by width modulation using something like an Arduino in order to adjust comfort level. Air is filtered before it is blown into the mask through HEPA material. A dust mask or a snorkel mask can work as the mask portion.