The same digital motor as a vacuum cleaner on a device that saves lives. The British appliance manufacturer Dyson last weekend put the last touch on its prototype respirator designed in the emergency of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Developed with The Technology Partnership laboratories, the CoVent is an easy-to-produce medical device on a large scale. The first order from the British government concerns 10,000 copies to equip hospitals on the brink of rupture.
Already put to the test by seasonal flu, the NHS, the public health system, has only 8,175 of these machines intended for the most seriously ill patients.
A portable version for transfers
According to Dyson, the final version of this large case will hang on a medical bed or be portable with an integrated battery for patient transfers. Its role: to oxygenate the blood of a patient by inhaling and exhaling in its place.
Respirators need to blow constantly: 400 ml of oxygen-enriched air and 12 to 15 times per minute.
The main part of the CoVent, the digital motor that drives the suction movement, is already available in large volumes. It is the essential component of the brand's high-end vacuum cleaners.
Production ready to start
In a letter to his employees, James Dyson, the founder of the company, clarified that "the device is designed to ensure a high quality air supply to ensure its safety and efficiency, relying on our expertise in air purification which provides high quality filtration in high volume products ”.
Just-in-time production is ready to start as soon as the agency of the British Ministry of Health has certified a device which it has already supervised the design.
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To shorten delivery times, - a cargo ship from China takes at least 3 weeks, the CoVents will be assembled in a former Royal Air Force base at Hullavington in the south-west of England. Dyson has announced that 5,000 models will be offered to hospitals, 1,000 of which will be given priority to establishments in the United Kingdom.
Produce large quantities quickly
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, himself positive for the virus, launched an appeal to industrialists like JCB, Rolls-Royce and Unipart to reconvert their production.
Another vacuum cleaner manufacturer, Gtech, was also contacted. The first three machines are scheduled to exit the production line on Tuesday.
If the government approves them, the company could produce 60 to 80 respirators per day. Their simple design allows you to quickly ramp up.
In France, the PSA group plans to produce parts for mass production of respirators. The main national manufacturer, Air Liquide, wants to double its production to more than 1,000 aircraft assembled per month in April.
