Gabriel Fernandes

Brazilian engineer who pioneered 3D-printed medical devices during pandemic

Gabriel Fernandes (b.1995) is a Brazilian biomedical engineer responsible for creating the first open-source 3D-printed ventilator prototype during the early months of the global pandemic. His design, developed with a team from University of São Paulo, reduced production costs by 90% compared to traditional ventilators. The project, named Respirador Open, was adopted by 14 Latin American countries and produced over 20,000 units through partnerships with MakerBot and local clinics. Fernandes' approach combined low-cost materials with crowdsourced engineering solutions, creating a model now used in disaster response systems. In 2021, he co-founded Tech4Health Brazil, a nonprofit training underserved communities to produce medical equipment. His work was featured in Nature Magazine and BBC World News. Currently developing a portable dialysis machine using recycled materials, his innovations exemplify the power of democratizing medical technology.