The new coronavirus pandemic has caused Intensive Care Units (ICUs) all over the world to experience a shortage of ventilators to treat all those who need it. That is why scientists began to race to find ways to quickly produce inexpensive ventilators that are easily maintained. On April 23rd, NASA (the American space agency) announced its own version of the machine.

It has been named Vital, an acronym for Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally. To do this, NASA asked engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (responsible for rockets, among other things) to pause their current projects and redirect their focus on the invention.

Vital can be put together quickly, it has less parts than a traditional ventilator, and its design makes it easy to carry to a contaminated person’s home or temporary field hospitals (in stadiums, for example). 

Because it was put together especially for covid-19 patients, the device provides oxygen in the exact pressure the sick person requires. No date had been set for Vital to start being used in hospitals as this issue went to press. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency that regulates food and medication in the United States, still has to give its approval.

What is a ventilator?

Also known as a lung ventilator, it is a machine that blows air (or oxygen mixed with other gases) into the lungs of anyone who has respiratory deficiency (having a hard time breathing on their own), a symptom present in more serious covid-19 cases. 

New ventilators created in Brazil

* Engineers from Escola Politécnica (Poli) at the University of São Paulo (USP) have created a ventilator that is 15 times cheaper than the traditional ones and can be produced in two hours. It has been named Inspire and is already being manufactured.
* Researchers from the Centre for Sciences and Nature (CCEN) of the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) have also come up with a less expensive ventilator. They have kept the production rights open for anyone who might be interested in producing it.
* Airplane manufacturer Embraer did not create a ventilator, but started developing parts that used to be imported. This will speed up the assembly of the machines in Brazil.

Sources: CNN, Galileu, Olhar Digital, NASA, Superinteressante, and Veja 

Questions
1) Which area within NASA was responsible for the ventilator project?
a) The astronauts’ area
b) The one that researches Mars 
c) The one that looks for planets outside the solar system
d) The one that produces rockets, among other things

2) What else do you think scientists need to invest in to help fight covid-19?

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