A TU Delft student team has managed to develop a prototype of a simple and relatively cheap respirator in just three weeks. With the device, the team hopes to overcome shortages of respirators caused by the corona crisis.
The team is called OperationAIR, where AIR stands for 'Assist in Respiration'. The team was founded on 16 March 2020 after a crisis situation arose in Italy, forcing doctors to make a choice about who respirators would be made available to. OperationAIR's prototype is intended to serve the group who are not allocated ventilation equipment in this case.
The equipment OperationAIR is working on is not intended to replace regular respirators, the team stresses. The respirator is designed for emergency situations where regular respirators are out of stock and shortages occur.
Working prototype
The student team announces in a blog post that its first working prototype is ready. The prototype is called the AIRone and has been tested extensively over the past week. Using a mechanical test lung, the first functional tests were carried out, verifying that the prototype meets the predefined performance requirements.
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) has been asked to give the green light for clinical testing of the prototype. The documents required for this have now been submitted to the ministry, reports the team. This clinical inspection is required to allow the respirator to be used in practice.
'Everything is ready to start production'
Once official clinical approval is obtained, the Ministry of Health can order production to start. To start production as soon as possible, OperationAIR has already partnered with an assembly company in the region.
"Everything is already in place to start production. We have had good contact with suppliers of various components of the AIRone. When VWS orders production, we can immediately start production in cooperation with our partners," the team writes in a blog post.
100 respirators a week
The team aims to produce 100 respirators a week, with the goal of eventually delivering 500 devices. If the situation in ICUs worsens, the team may be able to scale up.
"We are in close contact with the Dutch Intensive Care Association (NVIC) and the National Consortium of Resources (LCH) about the current situation in ICUs and the need for additional ventilation equipment. For now, however, it is important to get clinical approval as soon as possible," the team said.
Training and support
A training plan for training healthcare personnel has also been developed. OperationAIR also wants to have a team ready to assist with questions or problems when used in the hospital. The approved design the team wants to offer open source via its website. This will allow other parties to build the equipment themselves in countries where there are also shortages of ventilation equipment.
Want to contribute to the project? On its website, the team reports which specific products or areas of expertise it is looking for. Those looking for ventilation equipment on behalf of an intensive care unit can contact info@operationair.org.
By: Wouter Hoeffnagel
