April 3, 2020
La Trobe University Professor of Practice (Engineering) Chris Stoltz (left in picture), is co-ordinating a Bendigo-based initiative in which business, local government, manufacturing and higher education experts are working on a number of projects aimed at ensuring that the community is equipped as well as possible to respond to the pandemic.
“We have some amazing capabilities in Bendigo, including manufacturers who are ready and willing to reconfigure their plants to make much-needed equipment for hospitals,” Professor Stoltz said.
“As part of our collaborative approach, we’ve looked at what resources we have that we can bring together. We’ve now got La Trobe engineers working with Bendigo manufacturers on adapting CPAP machines to work as ventilators. We’re also working on a way to make ventilators from licenced designs, here in Bendigo,” Professor Stoltz said.