An ingenious hack is allowing doctors to repurpose snorkeling masks into makeshift ventilators. Approached by doctors in Italy, Isinnova teamed up with Decathlon to design a 3D printed component that could easily fit onto existing snorkeling masks. Turning them into efficient respirators that could be used to aid patients of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

Called the Charlotte Valve, this component has been made available on Isinnova’s website and is free for use. They’ve filed for a patent too, to ensure that the valve isn’t commercially produced and sold for a profit. The patent remains free for all, to ensure that hospitals, clinics, and medical staff can always access life-saving technology for no cost. Decathlon has been cooperating extensively with physicians in Lombardy to supply hospitals with their scuba masks, retrofitted with the Charlotte Valve mod.

If you’re a designer with a 3D printer to spare, we recommend clicking on the link below to access the 3D file. You can either directly print these components, or edit them to allow them to universally fit on different snorkeling masks across a variety of brands.

Designers, you can download the 3D file here.

Designer: Isinnova S.R.L.