As the Australian government scrambled to secure more ventilators during the COVID-19 outbreak, a project was underway in a room near Albury Hospital to create one of the machines.
Eric Moyle, who has worked as a visiting medical officer in intensive care at Albury for 20 years, was concerned by early modelling of the pandemic.
"I was called back from long-service leave, and very rapidly we expected to go from nothing to an overwhelming need for intensive care management," he said.
"We have five ventilators in the intensive care unit, and we anticipated we would need vastly more than that.
"As part of my training many years ago in intensive care, we used to make our own ventilators."
As a conjoint lecturer at the University of NSW Rural Clinical School, Dr Moyle was able to team up with the campus' technical specialist Justin Ford.
Together, they sourced disposable medical supplies, valves you would find in a garden watering system, and electronics to build their ventilator.
"We had a working model within two days, which we then put out for comment," Dr Moyle said.
"One of the problems was, there were no supply chains, so we could only use what we could buy commercially in Albury.
"The bits of the ventilator which are designed to be connected to the patient are still medical-grade, and the bits that drive the pressure are the over-the-counter devices."
Costing less than $300 to make, the machine replicates the basic functions of those in hospitals.
"The current ventilators we have in intensive care use a lot more micro-processors and high-end regulators," Dr Moyle said.
"We couldn't use that design of ventilator - we couldn't access parts - so we're using what is called a 'bag in the bottle' system where you actually fill up a bag, and compress that bag using compressed gasses.
"Along with a flow and pressure regulator, that gives the patient oxygen."
There is no intention to use the machines; while Dr Moyle is confident in their design, the ventilators would need to undergo regulatory processes and testing.
Of course, they could be of use in a worst-case scenario, and the ventilators will still be of much value.
Students have worked with Dr Moyle and Mr Ford on the project, and it's hoped future students will also have the opportunity.
"It's very good to suddenly say 'I'm going to send you 20 ventilators', but you need the staff who know how to run them.
"If we can run simulations, we can train staff and students so they know what's required."