A team from Rice University has developed a low-cost ventilator that could help with the global coronavirus pandemic, and it only costs about $300 to manufacture.

Rice students used 3D technology to create a prototype last year, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, they joined with a Canadian company to develop a more robust version.

A typical ventilator used to treat coronavirus patients costs about $10,000.

Amy Kavalewitz, executive director of the engineering department, explained to KHOU-11 that the low-cost ventilator would be an option for non-critical patients.

"The immediate goal is a device that works well enough to keep non-critical COVID-19 patients stable and frees up larger ventilators for more critical patients," said Kavalewitz.

"This project appeals to our ingenuity, it's a Rice-based project and it's for all of humanity," said Dr. Rohith Malya, who saw the need first-hand for automated bag valve masks at hospitals in Thailand.



"We're on an urgent timescale," she added. "We decided to throw it all on the table and see how far we go."

The team is making the plans for the low-cost ventilators available for free online for anyone in the world to use.

The Department of Defense has expressed interest in the project.



Here's more about the amazing development: