London, Ont., company to assemble low-cost ventilators as part of global collaboration
A London, Ont.-based industrial tech company is doing its part to supply Canadian medical facilities with much-needed ventilators as part of a consortium of Canadian entrepreneurs and philanthropists formed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ventilators for Canadians, styled V4C for short, is one of several groups currently working with the federal government to produce as many as 30,000 ventilators for intensive care units across the country.
The group was formed by four entrepreneurs and friends, including Scott Shawyer, president and CEO of JMP Solutions of London, which specializes in industrial technologies like robotics, control systems, and automation.
Danby CEO, Jim Estill, leads the consortium, which has several projects in the works to meet the 30,000 ventilator challenge.
V4C has already developed a field-hospital-style ventilator called the “Ambulatory Bag Compressor” — designed as a quick, temporary option for intensive care units — and has partnered with Baylis, a medical device company, to manufacture thousands of professional, Health Canada-approved ventilators, based on an open-source design by Medtronic Canada.
The group is now also assisting the global research collaboration, Mechanical Ventilator Milano, in developing and manufacturing an open-source, easy-to-produce ventilator that can be assembled with accessible, off-the-shelf parts.
“A typical ventilator’s made of a thousand components that come from suppliers all over the world. And they’re very intricate devices,” Shawyer said in an interview Wednesday with 980 CFPL’s Jess Brady.
“That’s the first choice for hospitals. But all of those supply chains and manufacturers are really, really stretched right now with demand from all over the world.”
The international initiative, spearheaded by researchers in Italy, one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, has since expanded to involve more than 100 researchers from at least a dozen countries.
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Among them is renowned, Nobel Prize-winning Canadian astrophysicist Dr. Arthur McDonald, who has been leading a team of researchers at the national laboratories TRIUMF, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, and SNOLAB.
McDonald approached V4C about helping with the project, said Shawyer, who, as engineering director, is heading the consortium’s involvement in the production of the ventilators.
“A lot of countries collaborating on this: Italy, Canada, the U.S., France, the U.K.,” Shewell said.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
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