Breathe Breezy With This Low-Cost DIY Powered Respirator

Need to do yard work during pollen season? Clean up that dusty shop? Survive the next zombie outbreak? This might be the project for you!

Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS) is excited to present the Fernando & de Souza powered air-purifying respirator (FDSPAPR), an open source PAPR developed by the Australian team of Dr. Shiranth Fernando, a registered dentist, and Nathan de Souza, a mechatronic engineer. Innovated for healthcare worker protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDSPAPR has emerged as a lighter, quieter, and more affordable alternative to traditional commercial PAPRs. It provides filtered air, face and eye protection, and skin surface cooling — without masking or requiring a large fan unit and air exchange tube, like most commercial PAPRs.

The FDSPAPR has undergone airflow velocity testing, and basic fogging and water resistance testing. While not yet tested for respiratory protection against airborne pathogens, the FDSPAPR does incorporate HEPA filtration, which can protect hobbyists from dust, pollen, and other large particulate matter. (Thus far we’ve been unable to test zombie splatter.) The wearer keeps cool and can speak and be heard easily while keeping the face and mouth visible, providing effective protection against particulates with improved comfort and communication compared to traditional half-face masks.

Commercial PAPRs can cost hundreds of dollars, even $1,000 or more. You can build an FDSPAPR in a weekend for less than $100 by downloading the free 3D files and templates and following the instructions at Instructables and GitHub. You’ll need intermediate skills in 3D printing, sewing, and soldering. The rest is pretty much cutting fabric and hole punching.

FDSPAPR may be a versatile respiratory PPE solution for:

1. Pediatric respiratory protection.
2. Users who need their face and mouth to be visible
3. Workers in hot, humid environments
4. Users with facial hair
5. Disabled and differently-abled users
6. Users sensitive to mask pressure on face and head
7. Users who struggle to find a mask that fits their face

A PAPR for everyone

Since 2020, OSMS has observed that standards and accessibility for personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal protective technology (PPT) struggle to match the broad needs of a new user market. No longer just for healthcare workers, individual interest in PPE/ PPT has crossed into the public domain. Along with that interest has come confusion and challenges surrounding the current fit, operation, and accessibility of respiratory PPE.

In a 2023 report the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that U.S. standards for respirators and filtering masks fail to universally address fit and comfort across genders, ethnicities, and abilities. This market gap could potentially be addressed by FDSPAPR research — could an affordable, lightweight PAPR provide the same level of protection as a mask while improving comfort and usability for the general public?

Regulatory research and testing

The FDSPAPR Design Report (PDF) thoroughly explores standards and regulatory compliance for international guidelines. These include the PAPR100-N and PAPR100-P classifications established by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to address the urgent need for safe and effective respiratory protection for healthcare workers during the pandemic.

To ensure the FDSPAPR’s effectiveness and reliability, the design team followed several testing methodologies:

• Filtration testing: Using HEPA 13 filters, high efficiency of 99.95% of particles were removed.
• Airflow measurements: Exceeded the required 170 liters per minute, with measurements up to 300 LPM.
• Decontamination procedures: Comprehensive guidelines for cleaning and maintaining the device are provided.

Help develop it

Since it’s open source, you can help develop FDSPAPR to increase community value and adoption of the design. Be sure to document your research on the project GitHub repo! Some possible improvements:

• Backup battery: A backup system would allow the user to switch to an onboard battery if the power bank runs out, keeping the device on for longer while the user finds a new power bank. A rechargeable battery embedded into the visor could eliminate the need for a power bank.
• Simplified construction: A small circuit board for the electronic components would reduce wiring and soldering required in the head chamber. Eliminating the need for a sewing machine would make the device more accessible to a broader audience.
• App control: Create a phone app-controlled PAPR to select fan speed, monitor battery level, and monitor internal hood and external environment temperatures.
• Customization: Head sizes vary; the ability to 3D print different-sized PAPRs would make them accessible to more users. Adding an adjustable headlight would benefit users needing directed light sources at close range, such as dentists, artists, makers, and research professionals. Increased fan speed for face cooling would be advantageous for users in hot, humid climates.

Research potential

As supporters of open source medical hardware, OSMS and the FDSPAPR team hope to see new open source filtering data and design iterations resulting from the current build files. Investigation avenues include:

• ISO PAPR 100-N testing
• Volatile organic compound (VOC) filtering
• Scaled manufacturing partners
• Community-focused PPE trialing
• Face-cooling air technology

If you’re a research or scaled manufacturing partner interested in collaboration, please reach out to Victoria through OSMS.

Images by Shiranth Fernando and Nathan de Souza.

This article appeared in Make: Vol. 91. Support Make: and subscribe for more maker projects and articles!