Project `` OxyGEN '' that anyone can easily automate the manual pump of the ventilator used for the treatment of new type pneumonia
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OxyGEN is a project to develop a device for automating a manual ventilator called a bag valve mask . OxyGEN is not a medical device only, it is a device designed with open source to reduce the workload of medical staff, it can be assembled in a few hours without requiring special knowledge and tools .
Welcome to the OxyGEN project
https://oxygen.protofy.xyz/
With the spread of COVID-19, the shortage of medical staff and medical facilities has become a problem. In particular, it is expected that the number of respirators used by patients with severe pneumonia and bronchitis due to severe COVID-19 will be insufficient, and engineers around the world have attempted to design ventilators with open source. Is done by
`` Project to develop ventilator with open source '' appears as a new coronavirus countermeasure-gigazine
However, mechanically controlled ventilators are expensive and cannot be used in hospitals without the approval of regulatory authorities, even if they are made from scratch. There is also a problem that a control system using a microcomputer board such as Arduino cannot be built without some knowledge.
Therefore, OxyGEN was developed as a system for operating the airbag, which is the pump part, of a manual ventilator called a bag valve mask used in emergency medical care with a simple machine. You can see how the OxyGEN prototype actually works by looking at the following movie.
OxyGEN Prototype-YouTube
The wooden device in the center is OxyGEN, and the airbag of the bag valve mask is installed at the bottom.
In the OxyGEN central
Periodically push the lower plate down. By this movement, air is periodically sent from the airbag under the plate to the mask.
There is no need for complicated computers or electronic boards, and it is easy to assemble if there is a board, shaft and motor cut in the form of parts. OxyGEN's development staff commented, 'We are designing parts collected from cars and small home appliances so that anyone can assemble them.' Blueprints can be downloaded from the official website .
OxyGEN is only treated as an auxiliary device, and the bag valve mask itself is a medical device, so it must always be used under the supervision of a doctor. However, in hospitals where large and expensive ventilators are not available or where there is a shortage of healthcare workers due to COVID-19 response, the workload of healthcare workers can be reduced at low cost. Is the point of OxyGEN. Although it is a simple mechanism, automation has great significance because operating an airbag near a COVID-19 infected person increases the risk of infection to healthcare professionals.
The next tasks for the development staff are improvement of the shaft circumference, search for materials other than wood, creation of a system that filters breath to create a sterile environment, and a respiration rate detection system.
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