In March, Dr. Eduardo Divo, professor of Mechanical Engineering, started to design a part that can convert a single-patient ventilator to one that can be used by multiple patients.
“Hospital-rated ventilators are powerful enough to be used for multiple patients simultaneously,” Divo said.
Divo then shared the project design with students in his biofluid mechanics class, who have been studying the pulmonary system’s gas exchange process and the corresponding mechanics of ventilators.
Divo is also leading a project to produce a portable, non-invasive ventilator for us on emergency patients in ambulances.
That project has been on old due to supply chain limitations, but Divo and Das have created designs that obviate the need for the part and are testing the new designs in their laboratory.
