One of the ventilators
Abasifreke Effiong
The Nigerian Defence Academy has produced two types of ventilator within a week after the Commandant of the Academy, Major General Jamil Sarham, gave them a target to produce 30 ventilators a in month.
Head, Department of Mechatronics, Major Abubakar Imam, reported that his team was able to design and produce two unique ventilators that could be quickly deployed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, within a week.
The NDA Public Relations Officer, Major Abubakar Abdullahi, who announced the cherry accomplishment on Friday 17th April, says the two ventilators, NDA type 1 and NDA type 2, could be reproduced at a moderate cost.
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Abdullahi quoted the Academy’s Head of Mechatronics as saying that the NDA type 1 ventilator is fully automated, has an interactive user-interface and four potentiometres, while the NDA type 2 ventilator also fully automated, operates with a 2KVA self-sustaining onboard inverter.
Both prototypes of the ventilator have been subjected to technical performance evaluations and the results came out impressive, according to the NDA.
The NDA type 2 ventilator.
“The NDA Type 1 ventilator is a fully automated system with an interactive user-interface and 4 potentiometres for adjusting air and oxygen parameters.
Similarly, the NDA Type 2 is also fully automated, operates with a 2 KVA self-sustaining onboard inverter equipped with a military-grade lithium battery.”
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“Both prototypes have been subjected to a series of technical performance evaluation tests with impressive results.”
“The design and production of the ventilators is coming a week after the Commandant NDA, Major General Jamil Sarham, convened a team of engineers, technologists and technicians from the Mechatronics Department under Major Dr Abubakar Suraj Imam to “rapidly develop affordable ventilator within the shortest possible time, using readily available components”.
The team was also tasked to ‘develop capacity of producing at least 30 ventilators in a month.’ This is against the backdrop of the high cost of foreign-made ventilators and the present difficulties associated with procuring these.”
The NDA’s image maker added that the Academy is also producing hand wash and sanitizers.