Wearable wellness tech giant Fitbit has unveiled a low-cost, easy-to-use emergency ventilator for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fitbit Flow has been granted emergency-use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means it can only be used to treat people during the current health crisis.

Responding to the global need for ventilators at the beginning of the pandemic, Fitbit applied its in-house expertise in advanced sensor development and hardware design to create the machine.

During development and testing, Fitbit consulted with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) emergency medicine clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients at OHSU Hospital and worked with the Mass General Brigham Center for COVID Innovation working group on the design to meet the needs of practitioners.

Fitbit Flow builds on standard resuscitator bags, like those used by paramedics, with sophisticated instruments, sensors, and alarms that work together to support automated compressions and patient monitoring.

The device is designed to be intuitive and simple to use, potentially helping to reduce the strain on specialised staff who are typically needed to operate a commercial ventilator. Other similar emergency ventilators vary in the combination of features they offer, but Fitbit believes that none delivers all of the attributes of its device at the same lower price range.

Fitbit now aims to leverage its vast infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities to produce large volumes of the devices quickly.

“COVID-19 has challenged all of us to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity, and use everything at our disposal to more rapidly develop products that support patients and the health care systems caring for them,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit.

“We saw an opportunity to rally our expertise in advanced sensor development, manufacturing, and our global supply chain to address the critical and ongoing need for ventilators and help make a difference in the global fight against this virus.”