Kerala start-up, US foundation develops new ventilators

KOCHI: Sinergia Media Labs (simelabs), Kerala, under Kerala Start-up Mission (KSUM), with Ionics3DP, Chennai and Aruvii, Singapore, tied up with Project Prana Foundation, Massachusetts, USA, to develop a new, affordable ventilator. This low-cost device is capable of ventilating two patients simultaneously which will help the future global fight against COVID-19.

The above mentioned three firm consortium has completed the functional model of the device for INDVNTR-100, Bag Valve Mask (BVM) based emergency resuscitator. Derrick Sebastian, Chief Executive Officer, Synergia, said that as an ambu-bag respirator, it offers multiple ventilation schemes. He added that the device works on both mandatory as well as spontaneous modes and is based on a design by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). INVNTR 200, on the other hand, is a feature-rich pneumatic design that is available at an affordable cost.

Silji Abraham, Advisor, IndVentr consortium, while talking about iSAVE, said that it is a carefully designed and thoroughly tested platform for sharing ventilator. He added that this can immensely improve the healthcare infrastructure which has been put to the test by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shriya Srinivasan, President, Project Prana Foundation, said that her organisation and the consortium will together to offer low-cost ventilators and multiplexing systems to market in India and other neighbouring countries.