[ad_1]
The fan can be assembled in just minutes, connected to a simple screen, and packed in a Pelican carrying case. Dally built the prototype using standard components for around $ 400. Produced in quantity, it could cost less than $ 300, and using 3D-printed open-source parts, the price could drop below $ 100, he says. According to an NVIDIA blog post, traditional fans can cost more than $ 20,000.
The ventilator has been successfully tested in a lung simulator, and Dally is now in the process of applying for an FDA emergency use authorization. That’s the same accelerated approval NASA recently received for its fan design. If the Dally device is approved, the next step will be to find a way to manufacture it, which, as other companies have found, is a major challenge.
“I hope not so many people get sick that we run out of fans,” Dally told NVIDIA. “But I want to make sure that if we do, something like that is ready.”
Several other companies have been looking for ways to develop new fans or extend the use of the current supply. We’ve seen possible designs from the gaming PC maker Maingear and Tesla. Dyson was initially preparing to make 15,000 fans, but recently dropped the plans, saying the devices “aren’t necessary.”
Dally, also a professor at Stanford University, collaborated with university colleagues and alumni. Another Stanford team recently produced reusable masks made from reused scuba gear and designed to help frontline workers during the pandemic. As this crisis continues, we are likely to see more tech companies and universities stepping forward to help in any way they can.
