The design of the CPAP breathing aid, which was partly developed by engineers at Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, will be made freely available for worldwide production.
The world is currently battling the coronavirus pandemic and medical equipment is in short supply due to the increased demand.
Formula 1’s Project Pitlane – of which all seven UK-based teams are members – is part of a wider consortium of companies assisting with the development and production of parts.
The UCL-Ventura breathing aid is a CPAP [Continuous Positive Airway Pressure] device, which helps COVID-19 patients with a lung infection to breathe more easily.
CPAP devices are in short supply in UK hospitals and engineers at Mercedes HPP and University College London worked to reverse-engineer a device, such that it could be rapidly manufactured.
A second version of the device, which reduced oxygen consumption by up to 70 per cent compared to the first prototype, received regulatory approval last week.
All of the details required to make the device have now been made public for manufacturers to download at no cost, specifying the materials, tools and kits needed for its production.
The UCL-Ventura has undergone evaluations on patients across hospitals in London and the device is being produced at a rate of 1,000 per day at HPP’s base in Brixworth, following the government’s order of 10,000.
The entire Brixworth facility has been repurposed to meet the demand while 40 machines typically used to produce F1 pistons and turbochargers are currently making the CPAP devices.
“Since the project was announced, we have received an incredible number of enquiries about the CPAP device from around the world,” said HPP Managing Director Andy Cowell.
“Making the design and manufacturing specifications openly available will allow companies around the world to produce these devices at speed and at scale to support the global response to COVID-19.”
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