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Bay has the smartest and most resourceful people in the world. Why can’t we utilize this talent to figure out how to build respirators. Sure there is a bunch

by adrr 7y ago

Bay has the smartest and most resourceful people in the world. Why can’t we utilize this talent to figure out how to build respirators. Sure there is a bunch of high end 3d printers in the area.

remarkEon 7y ago
"Why can't we just 3D print them" is the most "Bay" response to this complex problem. Snark aside, modern respirators are complex machines. Certain components could maybe be 3D printed. I suspect we'd probably just be moving the bottleneck up the supply chain, however.
- adrr 7y ago
  Plans were posted last week on here. If it’s life or death triage choices made by a doctor, rudimentary machine could save lives.
- scarmig 7y ago
  We (at least, in the US) have a strategic reserve of functioning ventilators. What's going to be worse is lack of trained operators. We'd hit the ventilator bottleneck even if not for them, but the operator bottleneck will come much sooner.
  - Nextgrid 7y ago
    Do you know what is involved in operating one? Would it be possible to write documentation a layman could understand, so the "operator" problem is solved? If I had the choice between no ventilator and one operated by a non-doctor just reading a manual I'd still take the second one.
    - remarkEon 7y ago
      Excellent question. Operator manuals for e.g. military vehicles (and weapons) are fairly step-by-step, though not necessarily idiot proof. I would how that a lot of us here could figure out the basics on our own, and with a manual be up to speed in a few hours if it really came to that.
dimtion 7y ago
while i don't doubt Bay has very talented people, and is surely one of the richest and most resourceful place in the world, it is very narrow viewed to think that this crisis will be solved by "smart people". I'm not Italian, but I could understand that some people might find offensive to imply that Northern Italy (with one of the bests healthcare system) are less smart and resourceful than Bay people.
positr0n 7y ago
Ignoring the SV elitism for now, probably because by the time you need a respirator you also need a team of highly trained doctors to keep you alive and you can't 3D print doctors.
symplee 7y ago
Exactly. I'm imagining a modern-day version of the scene in Apollo 13 where they have to find a way to fit a "Square Peg in a Round Hole" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry55--J4_VQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry55--J4_VQ
gioscarab 7y ago
Sure?
foogazi 7y ago
Isn’t “building respirators” a known issue ? we have to increase capacity and build more

by adrr 7y ago

Bay has the smartest and most resourceful people in the world. Why can’t we utilize this talent to figure out how to build respirators. Sure there is a bunch of high end 3d printers in the area.

remarkEon 7y ago

"Why can't we just 3D print them" is the most "Bay" response to this complex problem. Snark aside, modern respirators are complex machines. Certain components could maybe be 3D printed. I suspect we'd probably just be moving the bottleneck up the supply chain, however.

adrr 7y ago
Plans were posted last week on here. If it’s life or death triage choices made by a doctor, rudimentary machine could save lives.
scarmig 7y ago
We (at least, in the US) have a strategic reserve of functioning ventilators. What's going to be worse is lack of trained operators. We'd hit the ventilator bottleneck even if not for them, but the operator bottleneck will come much sooner.
- Nextgrid 7y ago
  Do you know what is involved in operating one? Would it be possible to write documentation a layman could understand, so the "operator" problem is solved? If I had the choice between no ventilator and one operated by a non-doctor just reading a manual I'd still take the second one.
  - remarkEon 7y ago
    Excellent question. Operator manuals for e.g. military vehicles (and weapons) are fairly step-by-step, though not necessarily idiot proof. I would how that a lot of us here could figure out the basics on our own, and with a manual be up to speed in a few hours if it really came to that.

dimtion 7y ago

while i don't doubt Bay has very talented people, and is surely one of the richest and most resourceful place in the world, it is very narrow viewed to think that this crisis will be solved by "smart people". I'm not Italian, but I could understand that some people might find offensive to imply that Northern Italy (with one of the bests healthcare system) are less smart and resourceful than Bay people.

positr0n 7y ago

Ignoring the SV elitism for now, probably because by the time you need a respirator you also need a team of highly trained doctors to keep you alive and you can't 3D print doctors.

symplee 7y ago

Exactly. I'm imagining a modern-day version of the scene in Apollo 13 where they have to find a way to fit a "Square Peg in a Round Hole" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry55--J4_VQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry55--J4_VQ

gioscarab 7y ago

Sure?

foogazi 7y ago

Isn’t “building respirators” a known issue ? we have to increase capacity and build more