The Gekko team were delighted to be advised yesterday that the Victorian government had committed funds to preparing the Gekko ventilator design for manufacturing readiness.
This commitment, announced by the Victorian State Government yesterday recognises Gekko’s world class capability and design skills in fields of pneumatics, hydraulics and control systems as well as its agile and rapid innovation system. With an integrated design, prototyping and lean manufacturing capability under one roof, plus an extensive multi-disciplinary engineering team, the company can respond with high speed to community and industry needs such as COVID-19 response. The Gekko ventilator, or “GeVentor” is a collaborative based project located in the regional city of Ballarat. Michael Poulton, CEO of the Committee for Ballarat, is playing a lead role in facilitating local, regional and national skills and capability. Local clinician, anaesthetist Doug Paxton, has been integral in the design of the prototype. Ballarat is fortunate in having a world class local hospital and medical network. The company has established a rapid response project team who will commence work over the Easter break to accelerate critical path outcomes. These include the final product testing, supply strategies and TGA approvals required to safely bring this product to market. |
Local community groups, including the Buninyong Community Bank, and individuals have donated matching funding to help accelerate this critical response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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