Ali Reslan and Mohammad Mortada from a town called Kayfoun just created a basic ventilator that does not exceed the cost of 100,000 LBP (equivalent to $66 at the official exchange rate).
Reslan and Mortada used basic tools bought from a local hardware store to create the respiratory machine. They confirmed that the tools they used can be found in any local hardware store.
In a 39-second video, Reslan and Mortada showed their creation and explained a little about the tools and equipment they used. They also demonstrated how the ventilator worked, trying it out for the first time on video.
They used two balloons to showcase how lungs inflate and deflate, according to the pressure used in the homemade ventilator. The machine may not be as complicated and advanced as actual ventilators, but it does function according to its purpose.
The pandemic caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused an emerging need for medical equipment consistent with treating the virus. Since the virus causes pneumonia, ventilators have been greatly demanded in Lebanon as well as worldwide, causing a shortage in respiratory machines.
Luckily, many young initiators in Lebanon have taken it upon themselves to create some kind of national self-sufficiency, by creating Lebanese-made ventilators and artificial respirators.
Al-Mahdi Secondary Department in Ghaziyeh announced that three of its students, Hussein Muhammad Farhat, Ibrahim Hamza Ghaddar, and Jawad Nabil Safawi, have also manufactured a respiratory machine.
“As a result of the intensive efforts of the school within its information programs in robotics, we were able to complete the manufacture of an artificial respirator and an electronic sterilization machine for hands,” the school explained in a statement.
Al-Mahdi School has emphasized that the manufacturing was a part of “scientific solidarity that aims to serve our people and our country Lebanon.”
Watch the video of the ventilator created by Reslan and Mortada here:
We have a dedicated coronavirus section where you can find the latest news/updates about the pandemic in Lebanon, inform yourself with WHO-verified resources, and track the number of cases in Lebanon in real-time. Click here.
