Our team has grown extremely fast in the past week.
We’ve built an army of over 250 remote volunteers devoting their time and expertise, and we cannot be more grateful for their help. Our engineers have now iterated the 4th prototype in just 2 weeks, naming the low-cost ventilator “AIRA”.
Prototype v4 now has twice the capacity of air volume, 1.8 liters, and has achieved all 3 necessary modes of control – pressure control, volume control, and pressure support. With the help from our partners at Microchip, we have also completed the development of a microcontroller, or the “brain” of the ventilator.
With more sourcing and manufacturing partners, we can ready the low-cost ventilator for mass-production. If you know someone interested in supporting our manufacturing needs, they can visit this link to connect with us.
The FDA has provided an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for situations such as COVID-19. The EUA guidelines enable organizations to develop the necessary products to battle this pandemic much quicker. AIRA fits into this category. This allows us to assure its reliability and get it into hospitals as soon as possible.
Following EUA approval, we are set up to immediately mobilize outsourcing partners and manufacturing partners to begin production. We have been in conversations with hospitals, governments, and other organizations to prioritize the distribution of our first phase of production. As we negotiate contracts with more manufacturing partners and continue to monitor the supply needs, we are estimated to scale production within 60-90 days.
The Town Hall has been postponed to allow the team to focus on low-cost ventilator development and necessary partnerships. Our more immediate aim is to continue spreading awareness of the project while we hit key milestones, and plan to have a more comprehensive Town Hall in the coming weeks.
While our team makes huge strides every day, we’re still facing fundraising and awareness challenges. If you have any leads on beneficial partners or foundations, or wish to donate yourself, please visit our website at http://52.5.97.206/join/ or http://52.5.97.206/donate/.
Your support means everything to us. Together, we can save lives.
Sincerely,
The Ventilator Project Team