On a typical morning, Farooqi's father collects the girls from their homes and drives them to the team's office in Herat, zigzagging through side streets to skirt checkpoints. From there, another car takes them to a mechanic's workshop on the outskirts of the city. In Herat, residents are only permitted to leave their homes for urgent needs. The robotics team has a limited number of special permits for cars. So far, Farooqi's father hasn't been able to get one, but the girls are in a hurry. ``We are concerned about security driving out of the city but there is no other option, we have to try to save people's life,'' Farooqi said. At the workshop, the team is experimenting with two different designs, including an open-source blueprint from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The parts being used include the motor of a Toyota windshield wiper, batteries and sets of bag valve masks, or manual oxygen pumps. A group of mechanics helps them build the frame of a ventilator. Daniela Rus, a professor at MIT, welcomed the team's initiative to develop the prototype. ``It will be excellent to see it tested and locally produced,'' she said.
AP