PREVAIL NY project result of week-and-a-half engineering sprint
As COVID-19 continues to take a toll on global healthcare systems, personal protective equipment like surgical and n95 masks are in short supply as are mechanical ventilators, which are used to provide breathing assistance to patients being treated for the novel respiratory virus.
Wireless infrastructure provider JMA Wireless, which has manufacturing operations in two of the places hardest-hit by COVID-19, New York and Italy, announced yesterday it refocused its engineering expertise to come up with a design for a mechanical ventilator. That design was made open source so manufacturers around the world can access it for free.
“Two weeks ago we heard the plea around the world for more ventilators,” Dave Jackson, president of transmission line systems at JMA, said in a statement. “We sat down to determine what we could do to help with our engineering talent and manufacturing capabilities. In only a week and a half, the team developed a manufacturable design that we call ‘PREVAIL NY.’”
PREVAIL NY means Pandemic Response Emergency Ventilation Assembled In Liverpool, New York, home of JMA’s plant. Production costs are estimated at less than $500.
JMA is also standing by to manufacture the ventilators based on need. CEO John Mezzalingua said, “The team is ready to jump-start manufacturing here in New York state, and devices can also be built at our facility in Bologna, Italy, for their local needs.
PREVAIL NY was further supported by physician John Callahan and Syracuse University. JMA this week said it has submitted the design to the FDA for “emergency use authorization.”
Access the PREVAIL NY design here.
