Oxygen Concentrator Reel System

Oxygen Concentrator Reel System - open-source assistive technology prototype by the Georgia Tech community

About this project

OxySpool aims to solve the problem of long oxygen tubes associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OxySpool reduces the tripping and tangling hazard by connecting the hose to an automated spool with adjustable speed controls. Using controls as intuitive as a mouse wheel, the user can easily roll up the hose to their desired length and move around their home without hindrance. The built in failsafes ensure that the hose never pulls in more than desired, and the discrete modular design allows the device to be placed anywhere in the home. Extending the hose puts the reel into free spin mode, allowing a smooth deliverance of reinforced tubing, minimizing kinks and knots while offering a free range of movement.

The challenge

Because of its length the hose can become a hazard. It bunches up. It can become entangled on itself. It can catch or get wrapped around furniture. As Mom walks around the house, she has to cross over the hose or push it out of the way. Everyone who is in the house is always aware of the hose’s location and tries to avoid stepping on it.

Who it helps

“Mom” is an elderly woman who has emphysema due to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). The condition requires that she have oxygen delivered to her nose for every breath. In her small home, she has an oxygen concentrator which generates the oxygen and she wears a nasal cannula to deliver that oxygen into her lungs. Between the cannula and the concentrator is a flexible hose which enables her to move about the house freely. The tubing is 50’ in length and made of a clear, flexible PVC material. Mom walks through the house with the tube dragging behind her.

Project details

The build files for Oxygen Concentrator Reel System are free to download from this page - open source, shared by TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers.

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