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New Rochelle native Jacob Goodman, a junior studying mechanical engineering, was challenged by a professor to build a working ventilator.
According to reports, Goodman took a trip to Wal-Mart on Friday, March 27 to get the supplies he required and went to work in his dorm room. He explains how he went about it in this video.
By the following Monday, he had a working prototype made using, among other things, a lunch box, inflatable water bottle, vinyl tubing and electrical components.
“I probably spent more time walking around at Walmart trying to find supplies,” he said. “A lot of this stuff is repurposed. The box is a lunchbox — it’s not perfectly airtight but it does the job. The ‘bag’ inside is a collapsing water bottle meant for camping. The connector that would go to the lungs is a silicone straw.”
Goodman - an Innovation Scholar at Binghamton - has been building his entire life, telling his university newspaper that he believes “the best way to learn is to build something.
“I’ve taken that to heart. In high school, instead of sitting there and doing my homework, I would go and build things,” he added.
Goodman was advised that he could likely get a patent for his makeshift device, but instead said he would put it out there online to allow others to see and possibly use his innovative invention. He said he plans to refine his prototype and collaborate with experts to turn it into a potentially market-worthy product.”
“I’ll put it out online and get as much feedback as I can,” Goodman said. “I want to make this work and save some lives. If I lose my chance to patent it now, I’ve come up with a lot of good ideas — this isn’t the first one, and it sure won’t be the last.”
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