3D architectured air sensing tubes for a portable mechanical ventilator

Abstract

Today, respiratory ventilators are in high demand at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, there are concerns regarding insufficient supply of ventilators to handle the impending surge due to the high cost, and slow production and deliveries. Thus, the development of a low-cost portable ventilator becomes essential. The mechanical ventilator requires two main components including an active airbag and its venting control system. We developed a reliable active airbag designed with mechanically tunable 3D origami structures. The 3D origami structure based active airbag demonstrates reliable and reconfigurable characteristics. The active airbag’s volume can be tuned by controlling the triangular angles in the 3D origami-folding plates. Moreover, its volumetric ratio before and after compression is around 85%. Also, the rotating behavior of 3D origami tube under the compressive force allows more functionalities in the airbag such as the architectured pressure sensing. The 3D printed origami sensor measures the compressed angle to confirm the accuracy of detected pressure in the ventilator circuit. We achieved accurate delivery of targeted air volume with specific airflow rate by 3D printed reconfigurable origami tubes.

Involvement of frontline clinicians in healthcare technology development: Lessons learned from a ventilator project

“…The lead engineer demonstrated the ventilator prototype virtually to the clinicians through pre-recorded video with live explanations. A paper describing the ventilator prototype’s details and development was submitted for publication [ 8 ].…”

The Kresling origami spring: a review and assessment

“…There are examples where Kresling columns are fabricated using hard and relatively brittle materials such as ABS without utilizing the foldability of origami [98,[104][105][106]. Researchers quickly realized that soft, compliant, and rubbery materials are better suited for capturing the full kinematics and kinetics of the KOS [107]. Using fused filament fabrication (FFF) [108], researchers were able to leverage the airtightness of the single-phase model for pneumatic applications, particularly in making artificial muscles [92], crawling robot actuators [99], ventilators [107], and energy absorbers [101].…”

“…Researchers quickly realized that soft, compliant, and rubbery materials are better suited for capturing the full kinematics and kinetics of the KOS [107]. Using fused filament fabrication (FFF) [108], researchers were able to leverage the airtightness of the single-phase model for pneumatic applications, particularly in making artificial muscles [92], crawling robot actuators [99], ventilators [107], and energy absorbers [101]. In their simplest form, soft TPE [92,99], TPU [96], or Semiflex (Fenner Drivers, Inc.) [107] were used as 3D printing materials.…”

“…Using fused filament fabrication (FFF) [108], researchers were able to leverage the airtightness of the single-phase model for pneumatic applications, particularly in making artificial muscles [92], crawling robot actuators [99], ventilators [107], and energy absorbers [101]. In their simplest form, soft TPE [92,99], TPU [96], or Semiflex (Fenner Drivers, Inc.) [107] were used as 3D printing materials. For more complex structures designed for actuation and switching, the development of custom photopolymers (PPIA50-PEA50) [91], or shape memory polymers [90] is necessary for thermal actuation.…”

Design of Ventilator with Gas Mixing, Tidal Volume, and Humidifier Parameters

“…Based on the identification of the problem above, the author will design a ventilator with automatic gas mixing parameters, tidal volume, respiratory rate, and humidifier [25]. Automatic gas mixing to regulate the oxygen demand given to the patient, tidal volume to determine how much air will be given to the patient by using the yf-s201 airflow sensor and MPX5700DP sensor to detect the amount of air pressure to be given to the patient [26], [27], and also using the system Valve control as the entrance and exit of air to be given to the patient, while the respiratory rate is to find out how many breaths the patient takes in 1 minute [19]. Then there is a humidifier to regulate the temperature of the air that will be given to the patient [28].…”