BANDUNG: A team of Indonesian engineers working around the clock says it has produced in two months a compact ventilator to sell at a fraction of the usual cost, hoping to accelerate the fight against east Asia's second-deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.
Like many other countries, Indonesia faces a shortage of the vital mechanical breathing devices to treat people with the pandemic disease.
Using household materials such as plastic drinking tumblers to make parts, the 40 engineers from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) developed the Vent-I ventilator that is the size of a mini-oven, said team leader Syarif Hidayat.