Right-to-repair groups fire shots at medical device manufacturers

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The website iFixit has long been known for its electronics repair kits and for its very public stance that repair manuals should be accessible to everyone. That's one of the foundational arguments of the broader right-to-repair movement, which lobbies that regular consumers should be able to repair the products they've purchased-everything from smartphones to washing machines to farming equipment-without violating a warranty. Now, in the time of COVID-19, iFixit and a prominent consumer interest group are tackling a more immediate concern: access to repair manuals for medical devices.

The company said this week it's releasing what it calls the most comprehensive medical equipment service database in the world." The collection of thousands of files is supposed to help biomedical engineering technicians-the techs who update or fix medical equipment on site at health care facilities-repair everything from imaging equipment to EKG monitors to ventilators. iFixit founder and CEO Kyle Wiens (who also contributes to WIRED's Ideas section) called it an absolutely massive" undertaking for iFixit, a project that took more than two months to coordinate and required help from 200 volunteers.

The rollout of the iFixit database is also coming on the heels of a letter sent to state legislators by Calpirg, the California arm of the US Public Interest Research Group, with more than 300 signatures from hospital repair experts. In the letter, the group calls for loosened restrictions on repairs of medical equipment and more cooperation from makers of medical devices.

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