Numerous tech and automotive companies have stepped up to make ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that now includes gaming PC builders. Maingear has developed a ventilator, the LIV, that uses an old version of its F131 PC case as the chassis. Based on a platform already in use in Italy and Switzerland, it’s designed to be easy to use with automatic operation, presets and a touchscreen interface. Healthcare workers can start delivering oxygen in as little as 1.5 seconds.
The off-the-shelf components help keep the costs down. Maingear claims the LIV can be produced at a quarter of the price of conventional ventilators. That still makes it relatively expensive (a ventilator typically costs tens of thousands of dollars), but the savings could make all the difference for hospitals already struggling to cope with high patient loads.
