Raspberry Pi: Popular single-board computer harnessed for open-source ventilator

Brought to our attention by the BBC and CNX Software, the Mascobot is not your ordinary Raspberry Pi project. Designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mascobot is the work of Marco Mascorro, a robotics engineer from California. Utilising a Raspberry Pi, an Arduino and off the shelf parts, Mascorro has published the files for the Mascobot on GitHub.

However, it is unlikely to be ready to treat patients during the current pandemic. Nonetheless, Colombian authorities have fast-tracked tests, with the Pontifical Xavierian University and Los Andes University hoping to start human trials by the beginning of May.

Mascorro has published a video on YouTube explaining the ventilator in detail. The video also offers a look at the Mascobot in action, along with a look at its software.