ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A Ph.D. student at the University of New Mexico is using his time away from campus to make life-saving devices that the state doesn’t have nearly enough of. Using tools around the house like a saw and screwdriver, Mostafa Peysokhan is making something that could save lives.

In five hours and less than $60, he created a ventilator in his Albuquerque living room. He said people can pump the Ambu bag for a manual ventilator or plug the machine in for it to work automatically with knobs to adjust things like speed and volume.

This comes as the demand is high here in New Mexico, as the state is anticipating 1,629 ventilators when we hit our peak of COVID-19 cases, which is about a thousand more than the state currently has. The governor this week announced she is hoping for a shipment of 400 to arrive soon.

The international student from Iran is studying optical science and engineering at UNM posting videos to YouTube detailing step-by-step how one works and how it is made. “At first I thought to file a patent, but quickly after that, we changed our mind and said let’s make it completely free,” Peysokhan said. “We decided to make it completely free and all the information online for everyone who can make it.”

He said he is not selling it or looking to make money but hoping to give people the tools to make one themselves. “I just want to publish it for everyone,” Peysokhan said. “Everyone if they want to make it, they can easily make it if maybe someday, it could save lives.”

He said all the ventilator needs is an oxygen supply and hopes to test the device at UNM Hospital soon.