NASA announced that after receiving more than 100 applications, its Jet Propulsion Laboratory has selected eight U.S. manufacturers to make a new ventilator tailored for coronavirus patients. The prototype, which was created by JPL engineers, received an Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on April 30. Called VITAL, the high-pressure ventilator was designed to use one-seventh the parts of a traditional ventilator. “It offers a simpler, more affordable option for treating critical patients while freeing up traditional ventilators for those with the most severe COVID-19 symptoms,” NASA said in a statement. The U.S. companies selected for licenses are: Vacumed, a division of Vacumetrics, Stark Industries, MVent, a division of Minnetronix Medical, iButtonLink, Evo Design,DesignPlex Biomedical, ATRON Group, and Pro-Dex (PDEX). Shares of Pro-Dex are up 67c to $19.92 in afternoon trading.