NVIDIA Chief Scientist Develops Open-Source Ventilator Called “OP Vent”, Here’s a First Look

NVIDIA Chief Scientist Bill Dally created an open-source design for a low-cost, easy-to-assemble mechanical ventilator, called OP Vent. Put simply, it can be built using just $400 of off-the-shelf parts, which is far less compared to the $20,000 that traditional ventilators cost. Between 0.3% – 0.6% of COVID-19 patients develop acute respiratory distress syndrome severe enough to need a mechanical ventilator, so Dally’s goal was to build the simplest possible ventilator. Read more for a video and additional information.

Dally currently has more than 120 patents under his belt, and his ventilator is built around just two easily sourced, key components – a proportional solenoid valve and a microcontroller to regulate the flow of gas through the valve to the patient. Best of all, the scientist reports that he can bolt the device’s pneumatic components together in mere 5 minutes, and the entire ventilator can be attached to a simple display and slid into a compact Pelican carrying case.

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I hope that we don’t get so many people sick that we run out of ventilators. But I want to make sure if we do, something like this is ready,” said Dally.