Brownie’s Marine Group submits ventilator proposal in response to coronavirus

Brownie’s Marine Group, Inc., developer, manufacturer and distributor of modern recreational diving products and onboard compressed air solutions, has submitted a technical proposal in response to the Department of Defense DIY Hack-A-Vent Innovation Challenge and other similar initiatives seeking innovative ways to rapidly produce ventilators during this time of critical demand due to COVID-19.

The proposal was submitted through its wholly owned subsidiary, BLU3, Inc.

According to the DOD, “this Innovation Challenge seeks to pool brilliant minds and expertise to develop a low-cost, non-FDA approved, mechanical ventilation support system that can be rapidly produced at local levels with widely available resources. The top three submissions will be selected by a panel of experts and may be offered an opportunity to produce a functioning prototype.”

BLU3’s proposal suggests utilizing an existing BLU3 product, Nemo, at the core of the ventilator solution, which the team has named BLU3 Ventilator. BLU3 Ventilator is the product of converting the company’s existing, CE-marked commercial breathing air diving system to perform the behaviors of mechanical ventilation.

The company says BLU3 Ventilator’s manufacturing processes can be easily replicated in other manufacturing plants in a short period of time and scaled up to meet increasing ventilator demands.