An all-girl robotics team in Afghanistan is making cheap ventilators out of car parts in a bid to help the country’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The teenagers grabbed headlines back in 2017 when they won a special award at an international competition in the US.
They are now working round the clock to deliver ventilators, at a fraction of the market price, at a time of crisis.
Medical ventilators are useful for treating patients of coronavirus because they take over the body's breathing process when the virus causes the lungs to fail.
Afghanistan, still recovering from years of war, has a maximum of just 400 ventilators for a population of 38.9 million. So far, more than 7,650 coronavirus cases and 178 deaths have been confirmed in the country.
"It's important even if we can save one life with our effort," said team member Nahid Rahimi, 17, reports BBC.
The girls, aged between 14 and 17, have built a prototype using a motor from a used Toyota Corolla and a chain drive from a Honda motorcycle.
They said their ventilators will offer temporary relief to patients with respiratory problems in an emergency when standard ventilators are unavailable.
"I feel so proud to be part of a team that is trying to do something meaningful to support our doctors and nurses - they are our heroes at this time," says team captain, Somaya Faruqi.
Ventilators cost $30,000 to $50,000 on the global market, leaving many poorer countries unable to afford them.
But the teenagers say they are building the much-needed device for less than $600 each.
Coronavirus has so far infected 5,090,158 people and killed 329,739 people globally, according to Wordlometer.
