UP Students Build Portable Ventilator For Just Rs 15,000, Call It 'Lesson From Covid-19'
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One of the developers said the project was born out of the Covid-19 pandemic when the scarcity of ventilators and oxygen cylinders turned hospitals into battlegrounds
In a remarkable display of ingenuity and social commitment, four final-year engineering students from the Kamla Nehru Institute of Technology (KNIT) in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have developed a portable, battery-powered ventilator that could revolutionise emergency care in underserved regions of the country.
At a time when the price of medical devices continues to soar beyond the reach of the average household, this team of Electrical Engineering students – Yash Mishra, Siddhant Mohan Ojha, Vaibhav Yadav, and Aditya Rauniyar – has created a low-cost, lightweight ventilator aimed at delivering immediate oxygen support to patients with respiratory distress.
The compact ventilator is specifically designed to be used in emergency situations, especially in places where medical infrastructure is either minimal or non-existent. The prototype, assembled for just Rs 15,000, can monitor oxygen saturation and air pressure in real time using components like the Arduino Uno microcontroller, a SpO₂ sensor, and air pressure sensors.
Speaking to Local18, Vaibhav Yadav, one of the developers, said the project was born out of the harrowing memories of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the scarcity of ventilators and oxygen cylinders turned hospitals into battlegrounds. 'We wanted to build something accessible, affordable, and effective; a device that could be used even in rural areas or during patient transport," Yadav explained.
The team received crucial technical guidance from their project mentor Er Dilip Kumar Patel and Head of Department Dr Saurabh Mani Tripathi, who lauded the innovation as a potential game-changer in rural and mobile healthcare delivery. Dr Tripathi emphasised that the ventilator's portability and battery-operated design make it highly suitable for ambulances, village clinics, mobile medical units, and even home care.
What sets this project apart is not only the cost – which could drop to Rs 8,000 with mass production – but also the depth of research behind it. The students referred to international research journals, including those published by the IEEE, to inform the device's functionality and safety mechanisms.
The team is now hoping for support from government agencies or startups to take their innovation forward. 'India faces huge disparities in healthcare access," said Siddhant Ojha, adding that if their ventilator can be manufactured and distributed widely, it could save countless lives, especially in areas where help often comes too late.
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June 13, 2025, 18:38 IST
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