MIT's new ventilator idea could be exactly what the doctor ordered, especially in poor countries will have no chance of meeting their need for the devices as the pandemic grows. The design is based on a class project completed by MIT students a decade ago, but now a team at the university has been formed to bring the project to fruition.

The ventilator is based on a kind of pouch called an Ambu-bag, which hospitals would already have a large supply of. These bags are manually operated and are used by doctors temporarily in place of a ventilator. The idea is simple: the setup works by mechanically squeezing the bag continuously, instead of a person.

MIT warns potential DIYers that the any makeshift device still needs to meet FDA regulations, even though COVID interventions are no longer subject to liability in the US. Still, I believe that this idea has the potential to save countless lives in countries that can't afford ventilators.