Low-Cost Opensource Mechanical Ventilator

UPDATE (April 25, 2020): We've changed the images from our scale-model prototype to the full-sized working version and added in a video link showing the ventilator in action.

April 17, 2020 | ProgressTH 

We've recently begun developing a low-cost opensource mechanical ventilator. We're using cheap and easily sourced electronic components including a locally-produced Arduino Uno-compatible microcontroller (Gravitech's Lambda board), high-torque servos used by hobbyists, and 3D printing to build our prototypes.

Our project is up on Thingiverse here. It includes some STL files for printing as well as a SketchUp 2017 file with all the parts, an assembled and labeled view, an exploded view, and the parts laid down for 3D printing. 

To add structural support to the design we're using 20mm PVC pipe easily sourced at any hardware store here in Thailand.

The ventilation itself is accomplished using a handheld resuscitation bag, with our prototype essentially automating the compression of the bag. Unlike a human hand, we can program our prototype to compress the bag at precise rates and for precise depths thus controlling both the rate at which air is delivered to a patient as well as the volume.

Background

The recent health scare has helped raise awareness of certain shortcomings regarding modern human healthcare.

Among these shortcomings is a lack of accessible and affordable essential medical equipment, particularly ventilators. 

Companies that make them keep their designs a secret and often overcharge customers for their use creating scarcity especially when they are needed most.

While there are many news stories circulating today of teams racing to build low-cost opensource mechanical ventilators, this idea isn't new nor is the necessity for a cheaper and more accessible mechanical ventilator something that just recently came up.

An MIT project described in a paper titled Design and Prototyping of a Low-cost Portable Mechanical Ventilator, is dated 2010 and specifically notes that shortages of mechanical ventilators aren't just a problem for people who can't afford them, but even in developed countries where emergencies (such as an outbreak, an accident, or natural disaster) create an influx of demand that can't be met because of the difficulty of buying additional mechanical ventilators that are complicated, expensive, and in short supply.

IoT and 3D Printing: Introducing Students to New Opportunities

March 28, 2017 ProgressTH 

Around fifty students and lecturers from Singapore's Temasek Polytechnic school recently visited Thailand to get a better idea of not only the tech scene here, but also to introduce the mostly business IT students to new ideas and skills including IoT projects and 3D design and printing.

Jackson Ng, a lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic, recently discussed with us the concept behind the trip, raising many important points about the shift practical education is taking.

For instance, a more interdisciplinary approach to education allows students to see a full set of options not only for helping them determine their future careers, but also to help them understand what is and isn't possible when approaching potentially new opportunities.

And while an IT business student might not possess the full skill sets required to prototype a project on their own, knowing the basics behind prototyping platforms like Arduino as well as 3D design and printing, gives them the knowledge they need to create more realistic objectives and better assemble teams capable of achieving those objectives.

3D Printed IoT Weather Station Prototype in the Wild

December 26, 2016 | ProgressTH 

Recently, we've been working on a 3D printed, WiFi connected (Internet of Things or IoT) weather station for local farms. We have planned to make three V.1 stations; one for our rooftop garden, and two for farms outside of the city.

We've finally deployed the first V.1 station on the rooftop. We'll work out any issues that arise with this one (including issues transmitting data through the concrete roof), and modify the other two in this series. Finishing the first station required a few extra steps since our last update here.

First, we needed to modify the NodeMCU Arduino code to put the system to sleep for 10 minutes in between transmitting data. This extended the 9V 1600mA sealed lead-acid battery's life from 4-5 hours per full charge to 41 hours.

Then we needed to design and 3D print a bracket assembly to hold the solar panel in place atop the station's mast.

The Arudino code is at the end of the article. We've uploaded the 3D design files for the solar panel bracket to Thingiverse and included the SketchUp 2015 file so people can modify the design to fit the panels they have. 

Above is the read out of the rooftop station. It updates every 10 minutes, day and night. See the Arduino code after the break.  

Exploring Makerspace-Made Electronics

April 6, 2016 | ProgressTH We were lucky to attend a DIY Science Project + DSIL workshop held at Fab Cafe Bangkok (their website is here) yesterday where Yair Reshef of  TAMI (Tel Aviv Makers International) introduced a wide variety of microcontrollers to participants.

Microcontrollers are small computers used to control electronic devices. They can allow you to control sensors, motors, lights, and relays that allow you to turn on and off appliances around your home or office. Microcontrollers with WiFi on them allow you to do all of this and more, only over the Internet as well as directly.

Yair gave participants a demonstration of how to setup a WiFi enabled board (the Node MCU), and how to collect sensor data and transmit it over the Internet to your personal computer.

The Rise of Local Microcontrollers

April 3, 2016 | ProgressTH If you wanted to control something, say an appliance in your home, a light, a sensor, a motor or something else electrical, you would either have to buy a consumer version that lets you control it the way you wanted, hire an engineer, or invest time and money into learning the skills required to research and develop a solution yourself.

DIY electronics had, for the longest time, been an almost exclusive realm for hardcore hobbyists with a deep interest and knowledge of engineering.

This barrier, however, was overcome when in 2005 a cheap, opensource microcontroller called the Arduino was introduced. It was developed at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy with the goal of creating a low-cost, simple platform for non-engineers, and at the time, for art students who wanted to create interactive electronic art projects.