Engineers in Italy have come up with the idea to create emergency ventilators by combining diving masks with 3D-printed valves, which connect masks with oxygen tubes, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
According to a start-up company called Isinnova, they converted diving masks into makeshift ventilators by merging them with valves which they make with the help of a 3D printer.
As founder and CEO Cristian Fracassi explained, they came upon the idea to print valves after learning about the shortage caused by the pandemic.
Now, the company produces some one hundred pieces per day and supplies them to local hospitals free of charge to assist healthcare workers in their battle against the disease.
“We were told the hospital was desperately looking for more valves. They’re called Venturi valves and are impossible to find at the moment, production can’t keep up with demand,” the 36-year-old entrepreneur said.
“When we heard about the shortage, we got in touch with the hospital immediately. We printed some prototypes, the hospital tested them and told us they worked. So we printed 100 valves and I delivered them personally.”
As the company founder went on to say, he doesn’t want to charge the hospitals for the gears because that’s “the least I could do to help doctors and nurses who work all day long to save human lives.”
The company’s act of kindness followed after several thousands of Covid-19 deaths were reported in Italy which has been dubbed the new epicenter of the pandemic.
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Replaced!