Fitbit is planning to shift supply chain resources to make emergency ventilators.
Fitbit CEO revealed that the ventilators will be used to treat critical COVID-19 patients.
One of the big advantages Fitbit has is the infrastructure and manufacturing capability required is already available.
The CEO of Fitbit, James Parkin conversation with CNBC, revealed that the ventilators will be used to treat critical COVID-19 patients.
Fitbit will also be submitting the technology for review to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming weeks, according to the report. Fitbit said a team in the US has already started working on the ventilators in consultation with physicans from Massachusetts General Brigham and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), among others.
One of the big advantages Fitbit has, according to Park, is the infrastructure and manufacturing capability required is already available. “We already make 10 million (wearable) devices per year, and we plan to leverage that to make deliver product at whatever volumes are needed,” he said.
Fitbit is not the only one planning on manufacturing emergency ventilators, however. US space agency NASA have made a low-cost ventilator specifically for COVID-19 patients while General Motors and Ford have opened up manufacturing space for ventilator companies to produce more.
COVID-19 cases worldwide stands at 4.6 million with over 3.1 lakh succumbing to the infectious disease.
Follow Us
Digit NewsDesk
Digit News Desk writes news stories across a range of topics. Getting you news updates on the latest in the world of tech. View Full Profile
