Proportional Assist Ventilator 

Team 11 Members: ​Marco Chow, Blake Henderson, Jonathan Pusic, Karen Woodward 

Client: ​Dr. William Sheel, Professor, UBC  Faculty Supervisor: ​Dr. Nima Atabaki, Professor, 
School of Kinesiology  UBC Dept. of Mechanical Engineering 

Abstract 
The purpose of this project was to improve functional deficiencies in the design of a Proportional Assist 
Ventilator (PAV) for Dr. Sheel, a professor and researcher in UBC’s School of Kinesiology. The PAV is a 
research tool that unloads a portion of the work done by the respiratory muscles for an athlete 
performing at maximum exercise by providing inspiratory assist in proportion to the user’s own efforts. 
The primary deficiencies in the device were centered around its poor user comfort, lack of reliability and 
robustness, and incompatibility with current computer operating systems. The team redesigned the key 
systems of the PAV to combat these deficiencies. The device is now ready to undergo further testing 
required to verify it for use on human subjects as part of Dr. Sheel’s future studies. 
 
Introduction 
While at rest, the work of breathing (WOB) done by the respiratory muscles makes up a small fraction of 
the whole-body energy expenditure; however, during dynamic exercise, WOB increases exponentially 
and can consume upwards of 15% of the 
body’s O​2​ intake. By unloading the work 
done by the respiratory muscles, it may be 
possible for the body to redistribute cardiac 
output to other muscles. The PAV serves as 
a research tool for investigating the 
complex relationships between WOB, 
ventilation, bioenergetics, and respiratory 
musculature during exercise in healthy 
individuals. The PAV reduces the WOB by 
delivering pressurized air to the test 
subject. As this pressure increases, the 
effort required by the respiratory muscles 
to produce the same volume change and 
flow decreases. In the future, this 
technology has potential for applications in 
respiratory rehabilitation as an aid for 
strengthening the respiratory muscles. 
Figure 1 illustrates the PAV architecture. 

Design Overview 
The final device, shown in Figure 2 below uses some internal components from the initial PAV prototype, 
but has been updated with a new housing and some custom components and accessories. The design 
of the new PAV was broken down into multiple key subsystems for the electrical controls, humidification, 
mouthpiece support, and overall layout. 

Electrical Controls - ​The initial electrical control system was incompatible with current Windows OS and 
operated at high voltages without proper grounding. The control system has been updated to remove 
redundant components and to ensure the entire system is electrically grounded and touch-safe. Since 
the solenoid valves used for actuating the flow paths run at a high voltage, a custom box was developed 
to isolate the valves and contain a steady state relay for controlling the system. 

1
Humidification - ​The previous humidification system had no user input, low consistency, and was 
inadequate in maintaining a comfortable breathing humidity over the duration of an experiment. A 
custom humidification tank was designed to consistently humidify the flow of air to the subject at a 
comfortable, desired setpoint. An immersion heater 
is used to maintain tank water at a specific 
temperature so that diffusion of water vapour to the 
air occurs at a consistent rate. 

Mouthpiece Support - ​The custom valve and 

mouthpiece was previously supported by a single 
string that was unconstrained, causing the 
mouthpiece to detach from the system or subject 
which halts the experiment. A custom frame was 
designed following range of motion testing to 
ensure the movement and applied forces of a user 
while biking would not be restricted. The frame is 
attached to a support that allows for better 
maneuverability and is more aesthetically suitable 
for a professional lab setting. 

Overall Layout - ​The previous system was on an 

oversized cart with multiple shelves and a scattered 
layout unrelated to function. The new cart is more 
aesthetically suitable for a professional lab setting 
and also has a reduced size and weight. The shelves and internal layout have been designed to reduce 
the length of the flow path with components organized according to function. This reduces the setup 
time while improving the reliability of connections and setup. 

Technical Analysis and Testing 

Humidification System - ​Excel and MATLAB models were developed to 
predict the relative humidity of the air for a variety of ballast tank sizes 
and geometries. The models were then verified through experimental 
testing using a constant flow scenario. The model and test results were 
then used to determine the final tank design. The graph to the right 
shows the expected relative humidity for a given water temperature in 
the ballast tank. 
 
Mouthpiece Support System - ​Motion tracking software was used to 
measure the change in position of a subject’s mouth at maximum 
exercise (shown in red). This range was then used to guide the design 
of the support frame, ensuring the mouthpiece holder did not restrict 
the subject’s range of movement. Verification testing was done on the 
frame to determine its total range of motion (shown in blue) and 
stability of the support structure under dynamic loading. 
 
 
Conclusion and Recommendations 
Overall, the final design for the product marked a significant improvement over the initial prototype 
device. A fully functional PAV was designed with improved layout, control, humidification, and user 
interface. Future recommendations for this project include rigorous testing of the software safety 
controls to prepare for use on human subjects. The device’s robustness can be further improved by 
designing custom attachments for the pneumatic valves to improve the reliability and ease of setup for 
the connection between the tubing and valves. The team is confident this device will be used to help 
further research into experimental respiratory physiology over the coming years. 
References:​ Paolo B. Dominelli, William R. Henderson, A. William Sheel (2016). A proportional assist ventilator to unload respiratory muscles 
experimentally during exercise in humans. ​Experimental Physiology, 101(6): 754-767.