“A CPAP does an awful lot of what you need out of a ventilator,” said Auburn University College of Engineering Senior Lecturer Tom Burch. “It provides pressurized air, it can moisturize the air, and so what you need to make that into a functioning ventilator is you need to be able to put that pressure in and relieve that pressure and on a regular pattern and be able to control how long you’re putting it in and how long you’re taking it out.”