Several employees at Neocis are volunteering their personal time and sharing their professional expertise to help the Ventilator Project, a nonprofit effort to design a low-cost and highly scalable ventilator. These employees have a deep background in medical device manufacturing and robotics development, which are critical components of a new design, the company said.
“Our mission is to solve the impending worldwide ventilator shortage, and technology is a key component,” said Tyler Mantel, cofounder of the Ventilator Project. “In just a few weeks, we’ve onboarded experienced staff and established key relationships in manufacturing. Neocis has supported our efforts with guidance in engineering, project management, and regulatory affairs.”
The Ventilator Project was launched by engineers and robotics entrepreneurs Tyler Mantel and Alex Frost on March 20. It now involves more than 200 remote volunteer engineers and medical, regulatory, and business professionals. It aims to raise $200,000 by the end of April to manufacture and distribute its AIRA ventilators.
Built to be easily scalable with materials sourced from outside the biomedical supply chain, prototype v4 of the AIRA provides 1.8 liters of air volume as well as pressure control, volume control, and pressure support. It also has Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to be used in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Neocis is committed to using technology to improve healthcare, so when our employees wanted to apply their knowledge to help ease the worldwide shortage of ventilators, we wanted to support them,” said Alon Mozes, PhD, CEO of Neocis, which manufactures the Yomi Dental Robotics System.
“We believe robotics will play an important role in a new era of infection control, and we look forward to applying it to the dental industry and beyond. The Ventilator Project is a worthy cause that can leverage much of our experience in robotics and medical devices,” said Mozes.
The Ventilator Project is currently fundraising to accelerate its growth and timeline to produce urgently needed ventilators. To support or participate, go to theventilatorproject.org/donate or email info@theventilatorproject.org.
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