PolyOne and Rapid Oxygen collaborate on groundbreaking portable emergency oxygen device

PolyOne has collaborated with Rapid Oxygen, a Stamford, CT-based company, on polymer selection for the development of its new emergency oxygen device called R15.

The FDA-cleared unit, launched this month, is marketed as the only emergency oxygen device that is non-explosive, portable and doesn’t require external power.

Working in conjunction with the University of Michigan and a team of scientists and engineers, Rapid Oxygen CEO and founder Richard Imbruce, developed the R15 to deliver 15 minutes of 100 per cent humidified oxygen at 6 litres per minute.

The patented, portable, R15 emergency oxygen delivery system can be deployed everywhere an automated external defibrillator (AED) is located to help a person with airway or cardiac emergencies in the first critical minutes before EMS arrives.

It can be placed in virtually any public location, like a fire extinguisher.

PolyOne says it provided a variety of solutions from its extensive distribution portfolio to address the needs for internal and external R15 components.

Numerous material types and grades from PolyOne, Covestro, and Trinseo were used to meet critical short- and long-term device needs that included impact, chemical, high temperature resistance, dimensional and colour stability.

“We were inspired by the need to make oxygen accessible to more people in emergency situations. Our focus was to create a device that produces non-explosive oxygen in a portable and user-friendly way,” said Imbruce.

“PolyOne was instrumental in helping to streamline the development and production cycles through regulatory support, material expertise and selection, and supply chain solutions. They helped us get to market faster and address our needs for the device housing and components.”