[gpm]

The set of people capable of building one of these machines and incapable of evaluating the risks of doing so is nearly empty. I don't think that's a real significant concern, to the extent it is it can be adequately mitigated by slapping some warnings on the blueprints instead of asking people not to try and design things.

This effort may well save no one in this crisis. It could still benefit by making future ventilators cheaper, serving as prior art on bullshit patents that people try to get on basic components of a ventilator in the future, and so on. This will very likely allow the health care system to funnel money into more effective life saving efforts in the future.