---
title: "NASA Develops Ventilator to Treat Coronavirus Patients"
description: "A team of NASA researchers have developed a ventilator for treating COVID-19 patients in just 37 days and is requesting the FDA for fast-tracked approval."
date: "2020-04-24"
modified: "2020-04-24"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-coronavirus-ventilator"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Medical"
  - "NASA"
  - "Pathogens"
  - "Space"
  - "Viruses"
tags:
  - "coronavirus"
  - "covid19"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Develops Ventilator to Treat Coronavirus Patients

![A team of NASA researchers have developed a ventilator for treating COVID-19 patients in just 37 days and is requesting the FDA for fast-tracked approval.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/nasa-coronavirus-ventilator.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA/JPL-CalTech\</em\>*

## NASA Ventilator

A team of NASA researchers have developed a ventilator for treating COVID-19 patients in just 37 days. The space agency is now asking the US Food and Drug Administration for a fast-tracked approval.

According to [a statement](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-develops-covid-19-prototype-ventilator-in-37-days>), the machine was "tailored to treat coronavirus patients" — and "passed a critical test" earlier this week.

https://youtu.be/NB7SdwkBqHU?list=PLTiv_XWHnOZoPT2VCxZJOF7Vg1VTNuGj4

## VITAL

The device, dubbed VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), was developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"We specialize in spacecraft, not medical-device manufacturing," said JPL Director Michael Watkins in the statement. "But excellent engineering, rigorous testing and rapid prototyping are some of our specialties."

## Meeting Expectations

According to NASA, the ventilator is easier to build and to maintain than a traditional one, as there are far fewer parts. It can also be modified for use in field hospitals.

"The NASA prototype performed as expected under a wide variety of simulated patient conditions," Matthew Levin, Director of Innovation at the Icahn School of Medicine said in the statement. "The team feels confident that the VITAL ventilator will be able to safely ventilate patients suffering from COVID-19 both here in the United States and throughout the world."

**READ MORE:** [NASA develops ventilator prototype in just 37 days](<https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/other/494458-nasa-develops-ventilator-prototype-in-37-days>) \[*The Hill*\]

**More on ventilators:** *[EXPERTS SAY PUTTING MULTIPLE PATIENTS ON ONE VENTILATOR IS UNSAFE](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/putting-multiple-patients-one-ventilator-unsafe>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)