The COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide and remains a challenge that humanity must still overcome. As hospitals continue to admit critical patients, they face medical equipment shortages that may hinder life-saving treatments. We seek to combat this equipment shortage by presenting a proof-of-concept portable automated ventilator that is simple, lightweight, and easy-to-fabricate based on an origami-inspired robotic approach. We discuss the design, fabrication, and initial testing of three such devices, two folded from a thin plastic film into a flexible bellows shape, and the other a 3D-printed version of the same design. We show that these initial designs satisfy most of the ventilator performance requirements for emergency portable automated use, with the 3D printed bellows being more flexible and capable of generating higher pressures. The next step is to expand our design and perform further testing to ensure our device is ready to save lives.