LEARN
The learning section of GiveOxygen has many different pieces of suggested respiratory tools and techniques based on our lifelong history with respiratory issues. Do not take any of the information you find on this site as a substitute for medical opinions or advice, merely helpful information to make your lives better.
PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
Breathing Exercises
How to measure your Oxygen Levels
VENTILATORS
Introduction:
Ventilators are a medical device and are strictly regulated by appropriate government bodies. Here in the United States, whenever a medical device is intended to be sold or distributed, our responsible body, the FDA, must certify the device through a rigorous series of tests and certification steps. For a ventilator, the span is typically nearly 12 months and US $100,000 to complete.
Luckily, the FDA has provided some relief from those rigorous requirements, costs, and tests due to the Covid-19 Epidemic.
Before you build, distribute, or use the devices reviewed or provided here, make sure to validate with your country’s governing body to validate whether these devices are applicable, legal, and safe to build and or use.
Please visit the History page for further reading and background.
Ventilators presented:
The open-source ventilators presented below represent those devices that GiveOxygen has reviewed as most likely to be successfully built, distributed, and utilized – this means the designs must be available, the legitimacy of the supply chain is most probable to be available, and the product documentation is sufficiently available.
This list will be edited as new ideas, technology, and progress is made.
Further Reading:
Check out the MIT E-Vent site linked below. You’ll find a lot of information and calculations available for several of the variables presented here. MIT does a great job to document the inputs to this system in order to calculate what is required from the included components.
Models IP and M |
E-Vent |
“The Beverly”“ |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Company | OxyGEN and Protofy | MIT’s
(Emergency Ventilator) |
GiveOxygen
Backup Emergency Ventilator Substitute (BEVSv1.0) |
| Source Links | Oxygen IP and M models | MIT E-Vent | GiveOxygen “The Beverly” |
| Status | Production Ready
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Production Ready | Prototype |
| Approved countries |
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| Media |
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| Description | Oxygen is our favorite so far, with a very simple and straightforward design, this prototyping powerhouse has focused on designing and building versions that are easy to build and operate for the makers out there.
With a project like this, supply chain and capabilities are the most challenging, and the OxyGEN team’s ‘M’ version gives hope to those without many tools, parts, or programming skills at their disposal. |
A great project from a great team. The E-Vent focuses on giving more options than other devices – allowing the Respiratory Rate (RR) and Vt (Tital Volume) to be controlled electronically – a great feature, but with additional control cost and design complexity.
If you have the parts and the capability, this one is a better option for nurses and medical professionals to get setup and run quickly and easily. |
The simplest model possible with a simple variable voltage source driving the motor speed (and thus Breaths Per Minute) coupled to a direct drive cam, there aren’t any difficult parts to acquire for this simple and straightforward device.
This device is meant to interchange parts with a different motor or voltage source based on available parts. Keep in mind, simplicity in the build means reliance on strict oversight when in operation. |
| Tools required |
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| Materials required |
Potentially an easier version (an at-home) variant could be made, but the complication of the overall system points more toward a professional manufacturer. |
It is our opinion (present in our design) that a “direct drive” system is simply better due to the over-complication of considering a gearbox for the average maker. A voltage controller eliminates that need while providing variable RR. |
Targets the most simple, basic qualities in an effort to be strategically achievable for those without hope. |
SIGN-UP
Hover over each of the buttons to see how you can help!
NEED
Hospitals
Are you a hospital in need of emergency backup ventilators?
TBD: only applicable when FDA rules allow.
MAKE
Maker
Are you a Builder, Maker, or just Handy? YOU can make a ventilator!
TBD: only applicable when FDA rules allow.
FAQs
The sign up is targeted for US distribution and will be updated pending FDA approval.
The tools and supplies are listed under the information for each ventilator. For the US, when we have a specific one approved by the FDA, we will post it.
We are using the donations to buy supplies and possibly operations if demand continues and/or increases. All personnel are currently volunteers. When the pandemic ends we will donate anything left over. Donations to GiveOxygen are currently not tax-deductible.