
Open-Source Hardware against Corona
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the open-source hardware community quickly announced the development and manufacture of complex medical ventilators. The project OPEN.Effect aims to evaluate the community's performance and effectiveness and to identify ways to quickly unlock its potential.
The pandemic has made it clear that there is a shortage of essential ventilators in Germany, Europe and worldwide. Companies, research institutions and private individuals quickly started to develop improvised devices. Thus, a highly dynamic movement emerged, which, however, has no clear contact persons, is unmanageable in its actions and activities and does not pursue a clear production strategy.
Against this background it must be ensured that the developed and produced ventilators nevertheless comply with all necessary medical regulations and can also be manufactured safely. The main challenges lie in the rapid development, manufacture and certification of ventilators that can be used to treat patients.
A short introduction to OPEN.Effect, presented by project coordinator Sonika Gogineni, can be seen in this video by the project collaborator Public Invention.