Coronavirus: IIT Mandi develops portable low-cost ventilators

Indian Institute of Technology Mandi has come up with two low-cost portable ventilators that can work both manually as well as using a smartphone. 

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has developed two low-cost portable ventilators that can be used and taken to remote locations in case of a medical emergency.

Dr. Apran Gupta, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, IIT Mandi, along with research scholars, Lokendra Singh and Sourabh Dogra, has developed a low-cost portable ventilator. This smart ventilator will cost only Rs 4,000.

The developed prototype is a mechanized Artificial Manual Breathing Unit (AMBU) bag with options to control breath rate and volume of air going into the patient’s lungs.

Gupta in a statement said, “Designed especially for COVID-19 pandemic, this low-cost ventilator can be operated manually as well as using a smartphone app connected over Wifi. It can offer some protection to our medical staff, who can operate the ventilator remotely.”

In any malfunction, the ventilators are equipped with an emergency switch and through the mobile application also they can be stopped.

The present ventilator is for non-critical patients who need some help in respiration. The prototype was developed in consultation with a medical team consisting of Dr. Chander Singh, Medical Officer, IIT Mandi, and Dr Manjul Sharma and Dr Jasdeep from Jagriti Hospital, Mandi.

Dr. Rajeev Kumar, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, IIT Mandi, along with his research team has also developed a mechanical ventilator by using a low-cost self-inflating bag operated by an electric motor costing under Rs. 25,000.

In this ventilator, a single rack and pinion mechanism has been used in which the self-inflatable bag is compressed from one side that would blow the oxygen into the patient’s lungs either through invasive or noninvasive mode. The developed ventilator has an interface between the ventilator to the patient and the ventilator to the operator.

During this time when the whole nation is fighting with coronavirus pandemic, this low-cost ventilator will be helpful for people who are staying in remote areas because of its portability, said Kumar. 

In this time of COVID-19 pandemic, this low-cost ventilator will be very useful especially for the rural patients because of its portability,” said Dr Rajeev Kumar.

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