About

RespiraWorks is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to designing, developing, and distributing medical equipment to those in need. This project, which started in a small Berkeley garage, has expanded to include dozens of engineers, healthcare workers, and other professionals around the world. Our two main projects are a low-cost, advanced support ventilator and a low-cost Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR).

Press

ZDNET: These open-source projects are helping to tackle the coronavirus

KCBS Radio: Bay Area Engineers Helping to Fix a Major Problem

VENTILATOR

We set out to create a full-featured ventilator that is affordable and easy to build in countries with developing economies and low-resource communities. Many teams had started tackling the problem of providing a so-called "bridge" ventilator, which provides temporary support until a patient can be placed on a full-featured ventilator, but fewer had started the more difficult task of providing advanced respiratory support for people who would need to be on a ventilator for days or weeks. COVID-19 does not discriminate by national borders or GDP. 

We are designing a low-cost ventilator that is still capable of providing advanced support regimes like Pressure Regulated Volume Control (PRVC) ventilation. To make sure this becomes a reality, we are working with local partners on implementation, supply chain, manufacturing and the regulatory process. Additionally, we are partnered with a team in India, FoundryM, for local sourcing and manufacturing to help them tackle COVID-19 as the caseload there increases.

PAPR

We are also designing a Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) that is much more effective than disposable masks and reusable. The current iteration uses P100 filters, which are rated to filter out 99.97% of incoming particles; filters for both inlet and outlet are incorporated into the design, which filters both inhaled and exhaled air and keeps both the wearer and the people around them safer. Using a PAPR may preclude the need for disposable PPE, as well as providing a level of protection above a mask. The positive pressure gradient adds an additional layer of protection. Here, too, we are partnered with FoundryM, which will work on local sourcing and distribution in India.

OPEN-SOURCE

One of our core tenets is easy accessibility to all and open sharing of our knowledge. As such, we are an open-source project. We believe this approach best aligns with our desire to make our equipment accessible to all. Our team has contributed new, original designs for low-cost ventilator components that have been adopted by other ventilator projects around the world. 

We're also making sure our equipment meets standards set by the medical community by consulting with respiratory therapists, pulmonologists, critical care doctors, and a bevy of emergency room doctors and nurses. We aim to design within ISO standards for equipment and design processes, balanced against the pressing circumstances of our time.

Help us put working ventilators into the hands of doctors in India and communities beyond, and help us deliver protective medical equipment to those who need it the most.

Donate today