The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world of engineering and medicine to the edge, requiring new, innovative emergency solutions. We created three products, VOLAR, a hands-free door opener, and BUMP to help solve some of the challenges that have been created COVID-19.
Stay safe out there, shelter in place when you must, and don't give up! We can beat this virus if we all work together. Dare mighty things!
In early 2020 mechanical ventilators were in short supply in the USA and might still be where you are too. To meet emergency demand we need a solution that can be produced from parts available from any industrial supply house plus a few more that can be 3D printed. Our design goals are to keep it simple, make it robust, and design it so nearly anyone can build it. We also want to avoid dependence on items that intersect with medical supply chains (since they are already overloaded) or that require computer controls to operate (as avoiding them significantly simplifies the electrical design).
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We call our unit VOLAR, from the letters of Ventilator Of LAst Resort. VOLAR is is exactly what it sounds like: a simple air pump that can be used as a mechanical ventilator to provide breathing support for patients afflicted with CoVID-19 related respiratory difficulties. We sincerely hope you, the reader, will never need one and that you will use other proven designs whenever possible. If there is no other alternative, then VOLAR could be a last resort for life support.
We have not produced or tested the VOLAR at this time. If you would like to fund our research and development efforts for VOLAR, please reach out to us here.
We have not produced or tested the VOLAR at this time. If you would like to fund our research and development efforts for VOLAR, please reach out to us here.
Sometimes the best solutions are the simpler ones though. What if we didn't spread the virus through surfaces that we come in contact with every day? And what if we could do that without lots of soap, hand sanitizer, wipes, or other consumable items?
This is a combination hard wallet and door opener. Each side has a slot for a card (like an ID badge, a credit card, a driver's license, etc.) and the hook can be used to pull open doors or turn lever handles. The small holes are for a key ring or lanyard. The large hole is for a lanyard too, just a wider one. Feel free to download a 3D printable STL file of our handy gizmo below! When printing, place the longest side down on the print bed. The rest of the angles are such that no support material will be needed.

hard_wallet_-_10.stl | |
File Size: | 520 kb |
File Type: | stl |
Tired of your ears getting pulled on by the elastic in your mask? Yeah, us too. There's several good designs out there for ear strain relievers, including some on the NIH website here in the US. We tried them and they're...OK. We wanted better than OK...a LOT better!
So we came up with the Basic Universal Mask Puller, or BUMP. This prints quickly with no supports and only weighs a bit over 2 grams (or about the weight of a paperclip) when printed with basic PLA filament. It fits comfortably in the curve of your head and doesn't pull on your hair.
Help yourself to the STL file with the file download link below!
Help yourself to the STL file with the file download link below!

bump-2.stl | |
File Size: | 14653 kb |
File Type: | stl |
In early 2020 mechanical ventilators were in short supply in the USA and might still be where you are too. To meet emergency demand we need a solution that can be produced from parts available from any industrial supply house plus a few more that can be 3D printed. Our design goals are to keep it simple, make it robust, and design it so nearly anyone can build it. We also want to avoid dependence on items that intersect with medical supply chains (since they are already overloaded) or that require computer controls to operate (as avoiding them significantly simplifies the electrical design).
|
We call our unit VOLAR, from the letters of Ventilator Of LAst Resort. VOLAR is is exactly what it sounds like: a simple air pump that can be used as a mechanical ventilator to provide breathing support for patients afflicted with CoVID-19 related respiratory difficulties. We sincerely hope you, the reader, will never need one and that you will use other proven designs whenever possible. If there is no other alternative, then VOLAR could be a last resort for life support.
We have not produced or tested the VOLAR at this time. If you would like to fund our research and development efforts for VOLAR, please reach out to us here.
We have not produced or tested the VOLAR at this time. If you would like to fund our research and development efforts for VOLAR, please reach out to us here.
Sometimes the best solutions are the simpler ones though. What if we didn't spread the virus through surfaces that we come in contact with every day? And what if we could do that without lots of soap, hand sanitizer, wipes, or other consumable items?
This is a combination hard wallet and door opener. Each side has a slot for a card (like an ID badge, a credit card, a driver's license, etc.) and the hook can be used to pull open doors or turn lever handles. The small holes are for a key ring or lanyard. The large hole is for a lanyard too, just a wider one. Feel free to download a 3D printable STL file of our handy gizmo below! When printing, place the longest side down on the print bed. The rest of the angles are such that no support material will be needed.

hard_wallet_-_10.stl | |
File Size: | 520 kb |
File Type: | stl |
Tired of your ears getting pulled on by the elastic in your mask? Yeah, us too. There's several good designs out there for ear strain relievers, including some on the NIH website here in the US. We tried them and they're...OK. We wanted better than OK...a LOT better!
So we came up with the Basic Universal Mask Puller, or BUMP. This prints quickly with no supports and only weighs a bit over 2 grams (or about the weight of a paperclip) when printed with basic PLA filament. It fits comfortably in the curve of your head and doesn't pull on your hair.
Help yourself to the STL file with the file download link below!
Help yourself to the STL file with the file download link below!

bump-2.stl | |
File Size: | 14653 kb |
File Type: | stl |