Coronavirus: Aberdeen University space team develops ventilator
- Published
The developers are trying to get the ventilator officially certified so it can be deployed
Scientists have used skills needed to develop life support systems for crewed space missions to build a ventilator to help treat the most severe cases of coronavirus.
The Planetary Science Group at the University of Aberdeen says it now has a fully working prototype for use.
It hopes it will be quick and cheap enough to build for nations with underdeveloped healthcare systems.
The team is now working to have it certified, so it can be deployed.
A ventilator is used to take over the body's breathing process when disease has caused a patient's lungs to fail.
The Aberdeen device is called ATMO-Vent (Atmospheric Mixture Optimization Ventilator).
Prof Javier Martín-Torres, who has led the design team, said: "As a group we have watched the spread of Covid-19 with growing alarm, and we wanted to use our expertise to help.
"Our hope is that the ATMO-Vent's cost-effective design and short development time means it can rapidly supplement the number of ventilators being produced by manufacturers."
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- Published16 April 2020
